Rise of the Prince
by Kimmbee4004
Summary: Nikolas never 'see's Emily' after her death, instead he gets stuck in the rage mode even after the tumor is removed, and then proceeds to overhaul his life and everyone's around him.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Rise of the Prince

Author: Kimmbee4004

Rating: M

WARNING!

Pairing: Nikolas Cassadine + Samantha 'Sam' McCall

Summary: Nikolas never 'see's Emily' after her death, instead he gets stuck in the rage mode even after the tumor is removed,

and then proceeds to overhaul his life and everyone's around him.

Universe: General Hospital

Disclaimer: No Person of General Hospital belong to me blah, blah, this was not written for the pursuit of monetary gain blah, blah, blah.

Feedback: Need Feedback! Must Have It! Please!

Keywords: F/f, F/F+, FF/F, M/F, incest, spank, D/s, humil, anal, 1st, BDSM, exhib, voyeur, ws, cons/reluc/nc

Chapter 1. Slipping

Timeline: Thur Oct 25 2007

setting: Wyndemere

time: 9:38 PM

It's strange what we think when we are falling. Me, I heard words float up to me from the past.

I never told anyone this but I remember one thing from the attack on Sam. I can hear it clearly as if I was back in time two years to the day I threw my grandmother off the cliffs at Wyndemere:

"Ironic - if Helena weren't dead, she'd be proud of me. I killed my own grandmother just like a true Cassadine would...

I did the same thing to Mary, Emily. You know, I reached that point - you know, that point, then - bang! Just like that...

No, I'm a killer just like every Cassadine before me! I have that instinct. I'll never get rid of it!"

An hour ago...

The creak of the old door squeaking announces Sam as she steps through the threshold dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a black leather jacket. "Ahem. Look, I - I just - I wanted to explain what you walked in on at the hospital." she tells Nikolas as she walks out onto the balcony.

Nikolas stands looking out into the night with his back to her dressed in a suite, his hands planted on the cold stone before him as he shivers minutely. However, he is able to keep his voice steady though the effort is taxing. "It's not really necessary, Sam."

"Yeah, I - I understand that, but I do know that you're angry, and I have a right to how I feel." Sam continues as she stops next to him oblivious to his current condition.

Nik's hand raises to his forehead as he feels his head begin to pound and knows he's getting close to another episode. "I, I don't wish to discuss this right now." he tells her, his voice tight with tension.

"You and Emily and Lucky and Elizabeth all have been friends for a really long time and I get that, I understand that, but-" Sam pushes on to try to plead her case but is cut off as Nikolas turns to her with a snarl and points an accusatory finger.

"Shut up! Lucky threw away his entire family because of you!"

Sam jerks back in suprise but gamely tries to defend herself, "Are you kidding me? That's not how it was-"

"That's exactly how it happened!" Nikolas explodes taking a step toward her and taking her arms in a grip of iron shakes her hard. "You do not care about him!"

Spinning Sam around Nikolas pushes her in between the battlements in an effort to throw her off the wall.

"Nikolas! Nikolas!" Stunned by his actions Sam screams as she feels him grab her belt loops and uses them to push her farther over the wall until the only thing left are her kicking legs.

Grunting when he feels one of her booted feet catches him in the thigh he steps closer so he can move between her legs and away from her kicking feet. "And I'd be doing him a favor if I get rid of you! What do you think about that?"

"No! Nikolas! Nikolas, no!" Sam yells as she desperately reaches to the right and grabs a hold of a lion figurine attached to the battlement at her side and uses it to keep herself from being pushed off the wall.

"Your nothing more than the bastard daughter of a bastard!" Nikolas tells her angrily, spittle flying from his mouth as he tries to grab one of her flailing legs to throw her over but sucecceds only in pressing himself against her as he uses his left hand to hold onto her pants and try to force her over. "Your so far removed from the Cassadines I might as well put you out of your misery and ours!"

"No!" Sam denies as she desperately keeps kicking with her legs to stop him from getting a firmer grip on her and tossing her off.

"You little whore!" Nik curses when he feels her ass rub against his crotch from her incessant kicking, arousing his ardor even as he tries to end her life.

Sam gasps for breath as five minutes pass in her struggle to stay alive and she only has energy left to hold on, knowing that after all this time that no help would be coming.

Now frustrated in more that one way, Nikolas licks his lips and changes his game plan and gives up on trying to grab her leg and instead works his belt and fly until his dress pants drop to his ankles.

The raven haired beauty has no idea what the maddened man behind her has planned, instead she spies hope in the form of the lights from the launch that has just left the harbor.

Nikolas see's none of this as he grabs the girl by the back of the neck and holds her hard as he uses his grip on her pants to now pull them down. A move that the girl is completely unprepared for and is shocked when she finds her pants at mid thigh, trapping her legs together in their tight grip.

Eyes wide in shock, Sam winces in pain from the grip on her neck. "Wh-hat are you doing?" she stammers, no longer even thinking of the launch and her would be rescuer.

He doesn't bother to answer as he lines up his member with her slit and pushes forward.

"Ohhhhhh GGGOOOODDDDD!" Sam screeches, her eyes bulging as she feels the massive cock thrust into her being. She can do nothing more than shake violently as he keeps filling her up and wonder at his length as his girth stretches her.

"Damn!" Nik groans as his hips meet the ass that so teased his cock only minutes before.

"ARRGGHHH!" Sam yells as she feels him finally fill her completely. Taking a breath, her survival instincts kick in and she lets go of the lion figurine and tries to get her hands underneath her to push herself off the ledge.

Just as she succeeds for a moment to get her hands under her, Nikolas slowly pulls out of her, making Sam release an involantary sigh of relief. Relief that is short lived as he rams back into her body faster than before and knocking the breath out of her as she crashes back to the battlement.

"Fuck!" he swears as he grabs her hip with his left hand and begins a hard pumping rhythm.

"Uh, uhm, uh, stop!" Sam grunts in time to the slaps of Nikolas's hips against her vunerable ass. "uh, no, uh, uh, no, ah, no more!"

Nikolas's eye's shine with a savage glee as his big dick rockets in and out of the struggling brunette's tight snatch, making her moan in protest as he pick up his pace.

Sam's eyes tear up as he begins to ram his cock even harder into the unwilling beauty. "Please, uh not-t so hard..." she begs as her body begins to jerk forward hard with every thrust.

"Hello Alfred." Emily greets the elderly butler at the entrance to Wyndemere, completely unaware of what is going on several stories right above her head.

"Miss Emily!" Alfred greets her with a pleased smile, "To what do we owe your pleasant company?"

"Nikolas is expecting me." Emily smiles back at the old man who did his best to get the couple back together. "We're going over the last details of the bacchanalia."

"Master Nikolas is with Miss McCall at the turret." he informs the lovely intern. "Shall I go announce you?"

"No. No Alfred, that won't be necassary!" Emily laughs at his antiquated manners. "I have a few things I have to grab from the study, then I'll go to him myself after I've changed from my scrubs." she finishes gesturing to the blue green clothes she is now clad in.

"Very good Miss Emily." Alfred bows and heads over to the staircase.

Grinning at the thought of the night to come, Emily hesitates before heading over to the study. Not sure if she couldn't use some attention herself right now, but ultimatly heads over to the study to make sure all the papers are in place.

"Stop! Stop it!" Sam gasps as Nikolas continues to hammer away at the helpless girl from behind for what feels like hours.

Nikolas snorts in denial at the very thought. Watching Sam toss her head from side to side as he takes what's his, reminds him of how he had to tame his horse Sheba. Releasing her neck, he grabs a hold of her hair and wraps it around his hand.

"Ahhh!" Sam yells out in pain as her head is pulled up and back by her hair forcing her to grab at the battlements to her sides to support her upper body to avoid having her hair ripped out by the roots.

Using his left hand, Nikolas begins to slap Sam's ass hard in tandum with his thrusts leaving red hand prints on her firm cheek.

Of course compared to the large dick ravaging her pussy, Sam barely even feels it as he continues to rape the crying girl.

"So close, so close." Nikolas chants as his hips speed up even more.

"NO!" Sam yells as her eyes burn with fresh tears, knowing what that means as she renews her struggles for naught,

He slams into her with all the grace of a garbage truck as he feels himself cum inside the defensless girl.

Sam's eyes are dull as her body jerks with the impact of his thrusts while he discharges shot after shot in her body.

"Yes, yes!" Nikolas groans with each shot of his penis into the dark haired woman.

A cold, numb feeling pervades her body as she feels Nikolas release his grip on her hair and leave her body. Sam's body slides to the stone floor as exhaustion takes it's toll, her body worn out from the brutal fucking it has endured. Hearing the sound of a zipper sparks her mind to awareness and a fiery rage blossoms inside her as she hurriedly pulls her pants up over her hips.

Getting to her feet, Sam see's that Nikolas is breathing hard. Once again leaning on his hands against the battlements where she first found him. She is startled when he turns to her with a suprised look on his face.

"Sam! What are you doing?" he asks bewildered, his eyes scanning the balcony. "What - what did I just do?"

The moment he takes a step forward she takes a step back, her eyes wary and fearful.

"Wait, please. What did I do? Did I hurt you?" Nik asks, desperate to know what happened.

"Hurt me?" Sam exclaims wide eyed, "Nikolas, you just almost shoved me off the edge."

Horrified, he looks around shaking slightly before refocusing on her. "You need to leave."

"What?" Sam's mouth drops open at the suggestion that she just let him get away with this. "Do you expect me to act like nothing just happened?

Nikolas tries to reason with her his voice rising with his concern. "Please just leave. Please get out of here right now!"

Wanting answers, Sam is not to be budged. "Not until you tell me what is wrong with you!"

"I - I don't know." he confesses with a haunted look in his eyes. "I don't remember what just happened."

"You - you don't remember?" Sam is dumbfounded by his admission.

"No." Nikolas starts to explain. "Look, there's something wrong with me."

"Yeah. No kidding." she mutters cutting in.

"I keep telling myself it's some uninherited medical condition that can just be diagnosed and treated, but I don't know. Maybe I am just my father's son." he tells her with a bitter shake of his head before he continues, searching for the words to explain his condition. "I've been having these problems for - for a while now. You see, I - I get angry. And then I get violent, like I did, for no real reason. See, but - but the - the actions, they don't - they don't match the situation. You understand?

"Yeah," Sam nods not sure if she's buying all this, but the look in his eyes goes a long way to convincing her. "I mean, sure. In other words, you're just - you're losing it."

"Yeah." he admits heavily, "I don't - I don't know. I just - I have these, like, these blackouts. I lose blocks of time."

"Do you remember confronting me at the hospital?" she questions him, her aching body reminding her of the need for prudence.

"Yes." he answers positively, remembering the argument he walked in on between her and Elizabeth.

"You do," she states, getting her facts down. "but you - you have absolutely no recollection of almost just shoving me over this edge?" or of raping me for the last hour, she finishes to herself.

"Sam," he replies in a pained tone. "I would - I would never try to kill you or anyone else for that matter if I were - if I were really thinking clearly. Please tell me you know that."

"You know," Sam tells him her mind clicking on a few things. "Alexis did mention that you were having trouble controlling your temper."

"Yeah. Yeah, I - I threw something at her. Did she tell - tell you that?" he confirms.

"Yeah, and I think - I would assume - that's why she took the kids out of here." she states more that asks.

Nikolas nods, "Yeah. These attacks, if - if you want to call it that. They seem to be random and I had a bunch of tests run. That's why I was at the hospital today, but they were all inconclusive, so-"

"Okay. All right, let me get this straight here." Sam moves onto the next issue. "You've - you've been flying into these fits of rages, attacking people, losing control, blacking out - the whole deal. The doctors can't seem to figure out what's wrong with you; you can't seem to, obviously, control the rage. And you're about to host a major formal ball here at Wyndemere, across the lake from hospitals, cops, anybody that can help you? Why?

Nikolas gets the love lorn expression he gets when he talks about Emily. "I've been planning this ball for months as a gift for Emily, along with an endowment to the hospital in her father's name."

"Why don't you just change the location, have it at the metro court? This way, if you start flipping out, someone's going to be able to take you to the hospital." she tries to reason with him.

"Because, Sam." Nikolas tells her, his tone firm. "I'm trying to re-create one of Emily's greatest memories - the bacchanalia ball, which is here at Wyndemere."

"Reschedule it, Nikolas. Wait until you get better." she responds instantly, as she fights to keep her mind from replaying what he did to her not five minutes ago.

"No, I'm not going to postpone my life just because I might be getting sick - no." he tells her rebelliously as he takes a step toward her that makes her take a reflexive step back.

"Oh, and people thought I was stubborn." she tells him with a shake of her head regaining control of her nerves.

"No, be careful - it's a family trait." he cautions her noting the backward step she took.

"Yeah, well, - I hope that's the only thing we have in common." Sam tells him unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.

"So do I." he agrees, but pauses as something in her eyes; how red they are or the way she keeps him in sight at all times makes him continue on. "So that's all that happened-"

"Hey, I was just walking in from the garden-" Emily tells them walking through the open door and stops when she see's that she has interrupted something.

"Hi." Nik jumps, suprised to see her and wondering what she heard.

"And I happened to see you up here." Emily turns to Sam after smiling to Nikolas.

"Yeah." Sam rushes to explain after Nikolas's lame 'Hi' and is eager to be away before he has the chance to ask his question again and have her possibly break down. "Nikolas was just showing me the view. It's a beautiful night out tonight."

"Yes. Yes, it is." Emily says slowly, her gaze moving between them.

"Okay, um - I'm going to actually get going." Sam seizes the opportunity to leave. "It was - it was good to see you. I guess I'll - I'll see you both at the ball."

"Yeah, definitely." Emily smiles faintly.

"Thanks." Nikolas gives her a solemn nod, indicating he means it for more than the compliment.

"Okay." she returns the nod and quickly leaves the balcony but catches the start of their converstation when they think she can't hear.

"You had another blackout, didn't you?"

"Oh, my God, Emily. I almost killed Sam. I - I tried to throw her over-"

The rest of their words are lost as she runs out of the castle and to the launch as fast as her legs will take her.

TBC... Chapter 2. The Fall


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: First, I would like to apologize for the wait. During the big storm last week I lost power and it took me awhile to recover this chapter from the laptop. I got the idea for this story when they side tracked the Cassadine storyline in favor of others that I won't mention here:/ If I offended anyone with the first chapter I'm sorry that I didn't give a warning for content.

Chapter 2. When The Party Ends

Timeline: The day after the bacchanalia.

setting: Sam's Condo

_I want to tell._

_I want to tell._

_God, I want to tell._

Those are the thoughts that run through her mind when she looks through the peep hole in her door and see's Lucky on the other side.

Yesterday, when he came to pick her up for the ball at Wyndemere she told him she didn't feel well. She would have felt bad for telling him that she didn't want him to get sick too if she wasn't almost frantic to get into the shower to wash 'him' off of her skin.

Now all she feels is this sick lethargic numbness that she can't seem to shake. Indeed Sam was about to send him on his way again when the look on his face pierces her antipathy. "Come in." she says softly, as she opens the door to admit the officer. While he walks into her condo she takes stock and takes in more details.

Lucky looks like someone ripped his heart out of his chest and crushed it before his very eyes. So distraught is the young cop he doesnt notice that she takes a seat on a chair instead of next to him on the coach. "Emily's dead."

The dead pan way he says it makes her want to reach out to him and she tries, she really does but pulls back instead and burrows deeper into her robe instead and waits for him to continue.

"Anthony Zacchara came to Wyndemere looking for Lulu and his son Johnny." he tells her as if reciting from a page, it's clear the shock hasn't worn off. "Apparently he's mentally ill and has been locked away in his home at Crimson Pointe by Trevor Lansing."

"Why would Anthony Zacchara kill Emily?" Sam asks quietly, not really talking to Lucky. More, trying to get the facts together as she starts drawing conclusions.

"He's certifiable." he gives a bitter laugh and rests his head in his hands. "He pinned Ric Lansing to a wall; literally, with a sword through his shoulder."

"What about Nikolas?" she questions keeping any rancor out of her voice.

"Carly and Jason found Nikolas holding her bo-" Lucky's breathing hitches, "holding Emily in his arms and screaming her name. Elizabeth had to give him a horse tranquilizer just to move her."

"Did he see Anthony do it?" Sam continues making note of the anger in his voice when he spoke Elizabeth's name.

"I don't think so." he answers then gets defensive at questioning look on her face. "I havn't even seen him yet. I found out all this from my dad. He had a heart attack and has to have surgery. I - I didn't know where else to go so I came here."

"You did the right thing." Sam tells him and steeling her resolve, reaches out and takes his hand in hers. "I'm just suprised that you didn't go to Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth." he practically spits out her name and lurches off the couch and starts to pace. "It turns out that I didn't know her after all. While I was fighting to get better so that we could be a family again, us and the boys, she neglected to mention that Jake wasn't my kid. He's Jason's."

Sam freezes up at Lucky's words, wondering exactly what else Liz told him. More specifically about her masterminding the attack on Elizabeth in the park as well as witnessing Jake's kidnapping and not doing anything about it.

Not seeing the look on her face he continues on. "She actually justifies it! Just kept going on about how I was in recovery and that she was worried that I couldn't handle it. And that he didn't know she was pregnant with his baby until he saved her at the Metro Court."

Lucky runs his hands through his hair in frustration. "That was in February. She lied for nine months to 'protect me' is how she puts it"

"That's because I was in the way. Jason couldn't claim his child because he was still committed to barren, childless me, so he had to unload me first. After months of lies, I finally got enough self-respect and left him." Sam tosses in her two cents the embers of her anger at Jason and Elizabeth sparking momentarily.

"She kept on going about how I checked yourself into rehab when she found out she was pregnant and turned my entire life around because I thought I was going to be a father. That she didn't know how she was supposed take that away from me." he throws his hands in the air gesturing emphatically. "Then after telling me that she was wrong to lie and that she was sorry, she completely counterdicts herself and says that I was killing myself with those drugs, and how she couldn't let me go back to using them. That I could hate her if I want, but at least I'm still alive."

"I am sorry." Sam tells him as she gets to her feet and lays a hand on his arm, halting his rant.

"You tried to tell me that Elizabeth was lying to me." Lucky remarks as he stares into her sympathetic eyes.

"It doesn't give me any satisfaction to know that I was right about this." she sighs as she fights to hold her ground and not sink back.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asks helplessly. "I mean, what about Jake? Am I supposed to suddenly turn my back on him? I mean, how does that work?"

"Lucky, I am so, so sorry. I - I wish I would've told you months ago." she admits pulling him out of his bout of self pity.

"How long have you known that Jake isn't my son?" he asks.

"I've known since the day after he was born." she admits remorsefully. "Lucky, I am so, so sorry. I - I wish I would've told you months ago."

"How long have you known that Jake isn't my son?" he wants to know, slightly apprehensive about the answer.

"I've known since the day after he was born." she says and quickly adds, "Lucky, I am so sorry. I wish I would've told you sooner."

"But you didn't. What, so you could hold on to Jason?" he accuses upset that someone else lied to him.

"Yeah. I know, it's pathetic, huh? But that's how I was when it came to Jason. Even after we broke up, I still felt obligated to keep his secrets - that's why I testified the way I did in court. It's-" she tries to explain but is cut off by another of Lucky's self rightous rants.

"Sam, Jake - Jake is - Jake was my son. And Jason has put that little boy in the center of a huge lie, and that's fine with you?"

"No, I - I don't know how to-" Sam hesitates before plowing foward. "I was with him for over three years. I know that's nothing compared to how long you've been with Elizabeth but Jason and I depended on each other for our lives. We had to, or people like Manny Ruiz and Lorenzo Alcazar would have killed us both. You don't just turn something like that off."

"I'm sorry." Lucly apologizes resting his hands on her shoulders, unsure of what to say but hoping that she understands.

The moment he puts his hands on her shoulders her skin begins to crawl. "It's okay Lucky." Stepping backward out of his grasp she walks over to the door. "But I really need to say goodnight. I'm still contagious."

Opening his mouth and closing it like a goldfish at the dismissal and it clearly is, he takes in her appearance again and notices how pale she is and nods in acceptance. "Alright. I have to check on my dad and Lulu anyway. I'll call you later?"

"That will be fine." she tells him as he walks out the door. After the door shuts she runs her hands through her hair and heads to her bedroom.

Two hours later finds Sam in front of the doors to Wyndemere her mind racing like a bullet train. She can't risk telling Lucky what Nikolas did to her: she knows that Elizabeth will never believe her and will discredit her by spilling the truth to Lucky about her part in the kidnapping of 'his' son. She can't lose him now. She needs him too much. Dressed in a pair of jeans and a long over coat Sam steps back quickly as the door opens to reveal Alfred, Nikolas's butler. "May I help you ?"

"I'm here to see Nikolas." she states her business staring at the elderly gentleman.

"Master Nikolas is indisposed at the moment." he tells her, a hint of worry in his voice.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important." she replies with a grimace. "I heard about Emily and people are talking."

"Yes." the aged butler drawls, "A detective Harper was here 'grilling' master Nikolas about poor Ms. Emily's death."

"I think I can help clear some of it up." she fast talks him. "But I have to speak with Nikolas."

"Very well." he gives in with a look that tells her exactly how worried for Nikolas he really is. "Master Nikolas is in the ballroom, he rarely leaves it."

"Thank you Alfred." Sam tells him patting him on the shoulder as she walks past him to the ballroom. What awaits her is like something from an Edgar Allen Poe story: complete with gothic castle, room lit only by the huge fire place a dark figure is haunched over a spot in the middle of the room.

"Nikolas?" Sam sighs, "Alfred said that you have been spending a lot of time in here and - well, you won't let the staff clean up."

"No." he answers standing up and regarding her with a feverish look. "I want the ballroom to stay just as it was when Emily last saw it."

"He said that you're not eating. When's the last time that you slept?" she goes for the concerned tact.

"Trying not to." he admits.

"Why is that?" she can't help needle him a little.

"Because every time I fall asleep, I lose her all over again." he answers hollowly then turns and walks over to the fire place. "Have you spoken to the Quartermaines? The funeral will be on Wednesday at the Queen of Angels."

"No I havn't but I will definitely be there," she answers with mixed emotions. "and I think Alexis is going to be there, too, depending if she's out of the hospital."

"Yeah, okay." he says distractedly as he pokes at the fire. "It's generous of the Quartermaines to allow me to attend, given that I wasn't her husband."

"You were engaged to her." she comments keeping a wary on him, moving her hand down to where she's concealed her gun strapped inside her coat. "Why wouldn't they expect you to be there?"

"Emily's family has never really approved of me. Being a Cassadine, I can't say I blame them. I mean, we're not the most stable bunch, are we, Sam?" he states with a bitter chuckle. "She married me anyway. Yep. I had the honor of being her husband, and I trampled all over it. She didn't even want to have this crazy ball. She tried to convince me to cancel it, but I wouldn't listen to her."

"No, Nikolas, you've got to stop." she tells him with agitation in her voice, upset that she has to play along. That she has to pretend to be concerned after what he did to her in order to find out whether he killed Emily or not. "I have done what you're doing a million times. You think 'if only this, if only that.' You are going to drive yourself crazy thinking that way, and you're going to make the pain worse, and you're going to make the loss feel even deeper. Emily loved you. You - hold on to that. She loved you up until the very end."

"I can't know that." he replies quietly.

"Why not?" she asks quickly, her hand itching to pull out her gun.

"Because I don't remember what happened in the end." he tells her and her world freezes.

Sam starts shaking, her hand falling away from her gun as she thinks back to last night when he said he couldn't remember. Couldn't remember pinning her in between the battlements as he worked her pants down. Couldn't remember ramming himself into her over and over as she begged and pleaded for him to stop. This more then anything synched it in her mind: he did it. He murdered Emily. Now all she had to do was prove it.

TBC in Chapter 3.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Phone Tag... Your Dead

As Sam rides in the elevator at GH, she replays the end of her conversation with Nikolas: "I can never see what happened. All I can do is hear."

"Did you hear anyone else?" Sam asks wanting to be thorough, needing to understand any little tid bit of his twisted mind.

"I was out of breath." he explains as he paces around, his expression pained. "I had just left Lucky in the west wing and I went back to the ballroom and everything went black but I could still hear sounds. I screamed at her."

"I was just trying to protect you - why'd you have to ruin that for me?" he recounts as he desperately searches his memory for any bit of the truth. "She told me she should've never left me." walking back to his desk he takes a seat before continuing. "I tried to tell her that I was what she should be afraid of. That she should of stayed in the stables."

Just looking at him makes her stomach clench. It takes so much self control to not draw her gun and blow his head off.

Nikolas can still hear himself screaming at her, "Don't - don't you understand? Don't you understand what you've done? I'm the one that you need to be afraid of. Do you understand? Do you understand?" and her response. "Nikolas, you would never hurt me, okay?" If only he knew that. Could know that.

"Clearly she didn't." Sam replies her animosity shining through even though she tries to hide it. Being her is wearing at all of her defenses.

She could have spared herself the effort, Nikolas is lost in the past and barely registers her words let alone the tone. All he can hear is the last seconds of her life:

"No, no, no. You have to leave here. You - you have to leave here right now because I can't protect you anymore. Come on, let's go."

"Nikolas, no, I'm - I'm staying here." Emily's voice strained.

"No, no -" he tries to object.

"I'm not going to leave-" she runs over his objection.

"No, you can't - you can't stay here anymore! Do you understand? You can't stay here anymore!" he screams, terror and anger warring in his voice.

Then Emily's final word gasped out. "Nikolas!"

"Nikolas." Sam repeats for the third time as she cautiously inches closer to the seeming catatonic man. He has been rocking back and for for over five minutes.

His name spoken by another voice breaks into his nightmarish rememberences with a start and he snaps his head in her direction. "Sam."

She jumps back at the sudden movement her hand clutching the gun at the first sign of hostility from the unstable Cassadine. "Are - are you all right?"

"The last thing I remember is a thud," he tells her in a whisper. "and the sound of Emily gasping for air."

Blinking his eyes as he returns fully to the present he notices her hand's position. "I would never hurt you Sam."

His words are so close to last night that she bites her tongue to keep the snarl off her face. "Believe me Nikolas, I know what you are capable of."

The ding signaling the opening of the elevator doors gets her attention as she gathers herself for what she has to do next. Walking out of the elevator, Sam spies Elizabeth at the nurse's station. "Hello Elizabeth."

"Why are you here?" the nurse replies neutraly.

"To make peace." Sam answers with as much grace as she can muster. "I just wanted to apologize because I think that Lucky and I should've probably talked to you and - and made it very clear about how far things have progressed with us as a couple - I mean, that we're actually together now."

"I'm not following," Elizabeth frowns, "what are you apologizing for?

"I screwed up." the dark haired woman admits, knowing she has to get this out of the way so that she can move on with Lucky. As well as get all the information she can about Nikolas. "I screwed up big-time and I am going to have to live with that for the rest of my life, but I care about Lucky, more - more than I ever realized or thought I would and - and I care about those kids, I care about what's best for them, and I think that it might be best for all of us to start working together. I'm just - I'm asking you to maybe let go of the past, to maybe start thinking about letting me be a part of the kids' lives. I just-"

"If you think I will ever let you be alone with my children again after what you did, you are out of your mind." Elizabeth cut in angrily. "You're not going near Jason's son, near either of my children ever."

"What am I supposed to say?" Sam backtracks, "What, what, I'm supposed to say, 'Sorry, Lucky. I can't be alone with your kids, but don't ask me to explain why'? How am I supposed to share my life with him? I'm not - I guess that's the point."

"Because I can't trust you." Elizabeth counters as if this should be obvious, and it is; what amazes her is that Sam has the gall to even come here at all with this.

"Or maybe because you can't be with Jason, because you can't stand the fact that I could actually find some happiness. You know what, Elizabeth? You would actually be punishing Lucky, too, all because I was so desperate to hold on to Jason because I was out of my mind with jealousy that you had given him the one thing I couldn't. I had a lapse." Sam exuses her actions, wanting to get on with the conversation. This business about Jake being secondary to the former conartist.

"A 'lapse'?" the taller woman repeats wide eyed.

"Yes, a lapse." Sam tells her impatiently a hint of it showing in her voice. "I did a terrible thing, I was at bottom. I actually have a chance with a decent guy right now, so I am asking you, I am begging you to let this go. Let Lucky get on with his life so he - so he can actually have somebody that treats him decent.

"Oh, you mean lie to him? Because that's what you've been doing all along." she is insensed by the woman's cavalier attitude of what she did to her and her children.

"Okay, that's fair enough." Sam tries to get her to see reason. There is no other way to get what she wants and she is beginning to realize that she might lose Lucky if she isn't more careful. "I know this all started out as a way to get back at you and Jason, but something happened, something changed between Lucky and I, something I cannot explain but-"

"You were able to keep him from seeing what you really are." Elizabeth corrects with a glare. "Do you really believe that I could ever trust you again with my children after what you did?"

"It must be nice knowing that whatever you say, people will just accept it." Sam's temper gets the better of her as the reason for her being there gets shoved aside and her anger at Liz and Jason returns, exsaperated by the trauma she has suffered. "No one will ever wonder if there's more to the story."

"If you're suggesting that this is in some way my fault-" Elizabeth jumps in but Sam is on her soap box now.

"No, you're just going along, living your life and terrible people inflict themselves on you - Ric, Lucky, me. And you suffer and you suffer beautifully but ultimately, in the end, you emerge untarnished. Yeah, the town saint."

"I am raising two kids by myself, Sam." Liz has had enough and sets the record straight with the self piting girl. "And when I am not working my days consist of doing laundry, changing diapers, and cleaning up puke - not to mention the fact that Cameron's best friend taught him it was really cool to play with matches and he almost burned down the house with Jake in it. You think I planned all this to retain my title as town saint? Guess again."

"Elizabeth, what are you going to do?" her anger has burned itself out and she feels cold again like she did 'that' night.

"I'm going to stay here until my leg heals and then I'm going to go home to my saintly duties." Elizabeth shakes her head as she starts putting charts on a cart.

"Come on, you know what I mean." Sam asks now very worried that she may have screwed up everything with her and Lucky.

"What am I going to do about you?" Elizabeth asks looking up from her charts.

"Yes." Sam answers bracing herself.

"As far as I'm concerned, nothing has changed." Elizabeth sighs and picks up the chart and walks away, leaving the other brunette who takes that as her cue to depart.

Waiting for Sam to get out of eyesight Lucky steps out from behind one of the pillars suprising Elizabeth. "I overheard your conversation with Sam-" he announce softly. "not all of it, but enough. I want the truth. What else is Sam keeping from me?"

"I don't know what you think you heard-" Elizabeth attempts to cover but Lucky is having none of it.

"You don't trust Sam with the kids."

"Well, I'd feel that way about anyone you were dating." Elizabeth deflects.

"Because she did something, Elizabeth, something she obviously didn't intend on telling me." Lucky tells her as he works it out in his head.

"You need to ask Sam." Elizabeth tells him, not wanting to be the one to break his heart again.

"I'm asking you." Lucky pushes on relentlessly. "Sam has been keeping something from me, something she intended on keeping."

"And this is between you and Sam." she returns quickly.

"You and I are supposed to be working together as Jake's parents." he continues on, making it Elizabeth's business. "I'm pretending to be that little boy's father to protect him from Jason's enemies, but it doesn't end there if you believe that Sam could be a danger to them!"

"Oh, I was angry when I said those words-" Elizabeth backpeddles shaking her head.

"So you didn't mean it? Sam can watch the boys and you're fine with it?" he asks knowing that the safety of the kids is something she would never put into question.

"I never liked Sam, I never trusted her." Elizabeth tells him pointing out the other woman's flaws. "She used you as a way to get back at me and Jason."

"I let her, but things change." he admits conceding the point.

"A person doesn't change." she sticks to her current tact. "Come on, did you think that you would ever really be able to trust her?"

"Are you ever really going to trust me?" he asks bluntly.

"What?" she asks suprised by the question.

"Well, if a person doesn't change, I'll always be a lying pill popper in your eyes." he explains his question.

"This is different-"

"No, how is it different? What did Sam do that's got you so worried, so sure that it's going to send me over the edge, diving back into a bottle of pills?" he goes back to his original question, not believing her excuses at all.

"I don't-" she tries to say but is cut off again.

"Stop protecting me! Just tell me the truth!" he demands angrily, insulted by Elizabeth's evasions. "Lucky might break, Lucky is one piece of bad news away from trying to drown himself in a bottle of pain pills - that was your excuse for lying to me every day, letting me believe that Jake was my son."

"I was worried about you - with good reason." Elizabeth defends her past lies.

"Stop hiding behind that!" he shouts, having none of it. "Stop treating me like I'm damaged goods!"

"That's not what I'm doing." she tells him softly.

"Emily was strangled to death by somebody that I worked with, my brother has an inoperable brain tumor, my father could be lying dead in a ditch somewhere - all the great excuses for relapse, Elizabeth, but I haven't! I just want to know why you're holding back. Why won't you tell me the truth?"

"Because you're happy." she admits with a sigh. "And as much as I can't stand Sam - what she did was in the past, maybe you should leave it there.

"You think I should pretend I never heard you and Sam arguing," he asks incredulous. "let things go on the way they are?"

"For now." she manages to get the words out.

"Go on living another lie?" he can't believe she's serious. "I appreciate that you want to make up for the past, but this isn't the way. I think we both learned that it can only make things worse the longer the lie goes on."

"It happened before things had changed between you and Sam, when she was still desperate to hang on to Jason." she realizes that he deserves the truth and tries to soften the blow. "She knew I had given him the child she couldn't, and it was killing her inside. The day in the park, when Jake was kidnapped-"

"What did Sam do?" he asks grimly.

"Nothing." the word falls flat in the room.

"What did she do?" he repeats, confused.

"After Sam and I spoke, she didn't leave the park right away." she fill in the details. "She was there when it happened. In fact, she watched a mentally unstable woman reach into the stroller and take Jake. She saw me turn around from tying Cameron's shoe and find Jake gone. She heard me screaming, she saw me coming apart at the seams, and yet she just stood there and watched - and did nothing."

"Thank you." he tells her numbly and begins to turn to leave but is stopped by Elizabeth.

"Wait - you might as well know-"

"There's more?" he asks turning to face her again.

"You know those gunmen in the park that threatened me and the boys - the ones claiming to be Jason's enemies?" she tells him wanting to get all the truth out.

"Yeah, the ones Sam chased off." he replies slowly, remembering the day it happened.

"Well, it was no accident that Sam showed up when she did." she explains the set up. "She hired them, Lucky - to drive home how dangerous it would be for Jake to be a part of Jason's life. She did not want Jason claiming his son. Lucky-" she trails off seeing the despodent lood on his face as he turns and walks away. "Lucky, what are you going to do?"

As she continues to light the candles, Sam remembers what her mother said to her about coming clean. She's going to tell him everything. About the kidnapping, the men at the park and about the rape. It's the only way she can ever be free. Resolute she is startled as the door opens to admit Lucky. "Hey. I was getting worried. Where have you been?" Sam asks.

"I had a lot of thinking to do." he replies numbly looking around at the dinner she has planned.

"I called you." she points out, a little peeved.

"I know." he says in the same tone. "Looks like I spoiled your surprise."

"No, it's - it's okay." she assures him. "We'll - we will have other nights."

"What's the occasion?" he motions to all the candles.

"I think I've been withholding things from you. I just - I think I've been afraid." she gathers her courage.

"Of what?"

"Ooh - of what? Of - feeling. But you're right. I - I've got to trust you." she reminds herself as much as him, knowing what she is going to tell him about watching Jake being kidnapped will be bad enough but when he learns what Nikolas; his own brother did to her-

"Can I trust you?"

"You know how this all started." reminding of their past but with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "Lucky, come on, part of the attraction to you was a way at getting back at Jason and Elizabeth. You said you knew and - and you didn't care, but I need you to know that things have changed for me. What I feel for you has absolutely nothing to do with anything but what's going on between us, and I - I never expected to feel like this for you. But I do, and I have to tell you that I couldn't be happier. And I want you to be happy, too. I want - I want us to be happy together."

"I want to believe you. But I know I can't." his words stop her like a slap in the face.

"Whoa, whoa, I don't understand." she says feeling the ground disappearing from beneath her.

"I didn't, either." he tells her, sadness seeping into his voice. "I know there were a lot of hard feelings between you and Jason and Elizabeth and I had no idea why."

"I already - I don't care about that anymore. I already - I told you. I even went to Elizabeth today to try and make peace."

"I know." he tells her taking a deep breath.

"You know"? What - what do you mean? She told you?" horrified at the revelation that Elizabeth may have beaten her to the punch.

"She told me a lot of things-" he states angrily. "some very ugly things."

"But you - I mean, you can't believe anything that she says." she can't believe that it will end this way, she won't let it. "She doesn't want us to be together, she doesn't want us to be happy."

"She doesn't want our children in danger." he reiterates fixing her with a glare. "I mean, what if - what if it did get out that Jason was Jake's father and somebody grabbed him and ran off with him and then you stood by and let it happen - like that day you did in the park?"

"I can explain." Sam tells him stunned that he knows the truth.

"No, you can't." he snaps. "I'm sure you can lie, and I'm - I'm sure you could come up with some real convincing story. I'm sure you could even hire some people to put on some good, convincing act for me - kind of like the two thugs that you hired to terrorize Elizabeth and those two innocent little boys just so you could be on "Everyday Heroes."

"Hey, will you please just let me say something, please?" taken aback by his attitude.

"There's nothing that you could do to make a difference." he grates shaking his head in disgust. "The only thing you can do now is get the hell out of my life."

"Please, Lucky, please, just hear me out. I know what I did was awful." she tries to defend herself again but is cut off by Lucky again.

"Yeah, which time? What was more awful, do you think? Watching Jake being kidnapped, standing behind Elizabeth, never saying a word? Or hiring two guys with guns to scare Elizabeth and those boys in the park?"

"I was angry, I was hurt. I was angry at Jason and Elizabeth, I was desperate, Lucky." she pleads.

"I thought you acted out by coming on to me." he barks out furious. "You're an adult! It inconceivable to me that you could be so selfish, so self-centered in risking an innocent little boy's life!"

"It wasn't like that. You don't understand-"

"No, I think you need to understand this-" he cuts her off. "I will help Elizabeth and Jason do whatever it takes to make sure you never come near Jake again."

"I would not have hurt Jake." she tells him aghast at the accusation.

"Why should I believe you? Why should anybody believe anything you say?" he asks with a shake of his head, not understanding how she can try to excuse what she did.

"I really don't know what I can say to make you-"

"Nothing." he barks fed up with the brunette. "Nothing at all because it's inconceivable to me. You - you had a miscarriage. You lost a baby. How could you just stand there and say nothing while somebody stole one? I mean, did you hate Elizabeth that much?"

"Yes, I did!" she admits with a yell. "In that moment standing there, yes. I was - I was filled with hatred and jealousy, and I wanted revenge. But, Lucky, everything happened so fast. That woman - she came out and she grabbed Jake. She just - she took him, and all of a sudden he was gone, and it was too late to say anything."

"Yeah, well, it could've been too late for Jake!" he reminds her insensed as she defends the indefensible. "Did you even think about that? No, because all you could think about was that woman taking that child that was the one connection between Elizabeth and Jason. Did you really think you had a chance with Jason when Jake was out of the picture?"

"No, no, no, no, no! Listen, don't you see? The woman was there, and then she was gone. I didn't even have time to think. By the time I realized what was happening, it was over, it was done!"

"Stop it, Sam! Once Jake was found, you made sure Elizabeth was so terrified that she wouldn't let Jason have a shot at raising his own son! And you just kept standing there, watching this all play out while you were playing me!"

"Oh, man." she groans, "Yes. It is all true, every last word of it. I was in agony! You are not the only one that was lied to here. I had lost everything that was worth living for. And I had to find a way to pick up the pieces of what was left of my life and rebuild it. I would not have been able to do that without you, Lucky. Come on, please-"

"No, just-" he tries to silence her but now he is the one who is cut off as Sam pours out her heart.

"The last thing I ever thought I wanted, the last thing with - I never thought I would wind up having feelings for you, but I did - I do! I do, Lucky, and they are real."

"Yeah, maybe." he says doubtfully.

"No, don't." she begs, seeing that she isn't reaching him.

"Or maybe - maybe this could just be a ploy - so you can just be closer to me, Cameron, and Jake, so you can just keep sticking it to Elizabeth and Jason. Well, you know what?" he tells her building up a head of steam again. "I don't care. I really don't, because I've been lied to by you, Elizabeth, and Maxie. I've been treated like - the biggest fool, that's what I am."

"No, you are not." she denies.

"No." he states more then asks.

"You are kind and amazing, and you are trusting-" she lists his virtues.

"Yeah, well, from now on, all I'm going to do is focus on being a father, and I want you to get out of here." he tells her going to the door and opens it, giving her a pointed look.

"You don't understand. You really don't understand what happened." she begs as she reaches him but see's it's useless, walks out the door.

"As far as you goes, I don't care-"

"Please, Lucky, don't-" she tries one more time but is stopped as he shuts the door with a parting shot.

"Just as long as I never see your face."

Standing on the docks, Sam looks across the water and see's the fog shrouded Wyndemere in the distance. It calls to her like a beacon filled with pain and suffering. "God, what am I doing here?" she mutters as the hate beings to eat through the pain Lucky's rejection caused. It wasn't her fault. She tried to tell the truth... about all of it, but he wouldn't listen to her. No, all he could hear were Elizabeth's words, condeming her.

As the self pity rolls around in her stomach she hears her phone log a message. It says, 'I am not dead after all. I see you. Do you see me?' Looking around frantically she runs up the steps to get off the docks and runs into a masked man. He grabs her arm and she spins around and slams her elbow into his face knocking down the steps. Hesitating for a moment she runs over to him and starts to take his mask off, but he wakes up and grabs her arm. Using her free hand she bashes her cellphone on the top of his head and runs as fast as she can.

"Ah - oh, God!" Sam screams when she reaches the street only to see two lights speeding toward her.

Author's Note: I know this wasn't as dramatic as you might want but it was necessary: something that will be very apparant in the next chapter, when everything starts exploding.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the terrible wait on the story. But when you break your hand in THREE places you shouldn't try to type. The cast comes off tomorrow so I should have the next chapter up soon.

PS. I hate when people put stuff up in place of chapters too.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4. Home Is Where The Horror Is

Author's Note 1: Be aware that this story was written before the spontanious growth spurt of Kristina and Michael. In this story they are still kids, not teenagers.

Author's Note 2: It's been awhile but if anyones still interested in me continuing this I'll do my best to make the effort. If not, I've been watching Vampire Diaries for the last seven months and have a pretty decent story outlined so please, let me know.

setting: General Hospital

"Sam... SAM!" a voice yells as her vision swims like a colidascope.

"Mom." a soft voice replies so weakly that it can barely be heard.

"Your awake!" Alexis chokes out holding her daughter's hand in hers.

"Am I in General Hospital?" Sam is suprised at the effort it takes her to get the words out clearly as she takes in the hopital room she is currently in.

"Yes." the older woman replies her smile slipping a bit. "You've been unconscience for awhile."

"How long?" Sam questions wincing when a sharp pain stabs her hip as she shifts to regard her mother.

"It's March." the reply stuns the young woman and Alexis rushes to fill the silence. "You were hit by a car do you remember anything?"

The question brings back everything in a rush and makes Sam start and wince at the pain the motion causes her. "I've been here for over two months!" she rasps, wide eyed.

"Yes." Alexis answers calmly, assessing her daughter's mental state.

"Did they catch him?" Sam struggles to sit up.

"Not yet no." Alexis says cautiously, "There have been no leads on who hit you yet. Do you remember anything about who hit you?"

"I - I don't..." Sam tries but all she remembers of the car was the lights streaming towards her. "I'm sorry. I can't remember."

"What were you doing out there anyways?" Alexis tries to smooth out the awkward moment.

"I was on the dock when I got a text from the Text Message Killer." Sam recalls fighting the pycho off and running out into the street.

"The Text Message Killer?" Alexis jumps at that, worry etched on her face.

"Yeah," Sam explains her voice getting stronger. "the message said: 'I am not dead after all. I see you. Do you see me?' and that's when he attacked. We fought and I knocked him down the steps and ran away."

"That's when you got hit by the car." Alexis states with a nod and continues at Sam's nod. "No one knew that what happened to you was anything more than a hit and run. Everyone believed that Cooper Barret was the killer."

"So the cops didn't bother to check." Sam tiredly lays back down on the bed.

"No they didn't." Alexis shakes her head in disgust, then pauses as she considers whether or not to tell her the rest.

"What is it?" the bed ridden brunette asks warily as she see's the look in her mother's eyes.

"The case was closed." Alexis says slowly, "The case went on the books as - as unsolved."

"What!" Sam yells or tries to, instead her voice comes out a strangled croak.

"The police investigated and determined that there was no evidence of who the driver was."

Disbelief, anger and shock war on her pretty face as she takes in the news.

"The lead detective was Lucky." Alexis's last bit of new was the clincher as shock when the battle for supremecy

"I see our patient is awake." a deep voice says from the doorway.

"Dr. Devlin." Alexis announces as she stands up from Sam's bedside.

"Ms. Davis." the doctor greets urbanly, his eyes riveted on Sam. "I came by to tell you that your nephew has recovered fully from the surgery. I had no idea your daughter awakened."

"Nikolas is here?" Sam questions eyes darting around.

"He had a operation." Alexis tells Sam, cock her head in confusion at Sam's reaction. "Apparantly his bizzare behavior was driven by a brain tumor that Dr. Devlin here removed."

"It was nothing." he tells the pair and is cut off as his pager goes off. "I'm sorry ladies, but duty calls."

After the doctor leaves Sam refocuses on her mother. "When did this happen." she asks sharply.

"A couple of days ago." Alexis answers uncertainly, suprised again by Sam's behavior. "After he finished repairing the damage to your side and hip, Dr. Devlin treated Nikolas. After giving him a drug to shrink the tumor he was able to remove it."

Biting her bottom lip, Sam thinks about how to phrase her next question, knowing how loyal her mother is to Nikolas. "Where - exactly, was Nikolas when I was attacked?"

"What do you mean where-" Alexis responds defensively on automatic of anything negative to do with her nephew, until the question and the person askin it, sinks in. "You - you think Nikolas attacked you?"

"He attacked me at Wyndemere and almost threw me off the balcony." she tells Alexis quietly, testing the waters on whether or not to tell her everything that Nikolas did to her.

"He - he wha-" Alexis growls before composing herself with an effort.

"We argued about Lucky and Elizabeth at the hospital and I went to Wyndemere to talk to him and he lost it." Sam says in the same quiet tone. "Emily showed up after he snapped out of it and explained about the black outs."

"He, you," Alexis sputters, "why didn't anyone tell me?"

Sam doesn't know how to answer that. Not without telling her she was too busy putting herself back together after being raped by her beloved Nikolas.

Seeing the lost look on her daughter's face, Alexis softens her tone and sits down next to her again. "Sam, Nikolas was meeting with Patrick at the time of the attack. There was no way he could have attacked you."

"Your sure about that?" Sam asks though she can see on her mother's face that she believes it.

"Yes." Alexis assures her then pauses, "You.. really thought Nikolas was the Text Message Killer didn't you?"

"After I heard about Emily, yeah I considered it." Sam admits as she hides her shaking hands under the covers from her mother's view as she flashes back to the rape.

"I promise you." Alexis says vehemently getting to her feet again, "Nikolas didn't kill Emily and he didn't try to kill you."

There's nothing that she can say against her mother's words, not yet. She still isn't sure that Nikolas didn't kill Emily though, even if he didn't go after her.

"I do have to go see to Nikolas." Alexis apologizes, kissing Sam on the forehead.

"Alright then." Sam sighs as a wave of lethargy fueled depression threatens to bury her.

"I will be back as soon as I've spoken to him." Alexis promises before leaving.

Sam closes her eyes after her mother leaves and swiftly falls asleep.

"This is going to be great!" Sam says to herself as she begins lighting the candles on the table. Dressed in a light blue dress she shimmers around smiling.

On cue the door opens and Lucky walks in. "Hello there beautiful."

"Hey." Sam says in a low tone eyes sparkling. "Your early."

"I don't know I think I timed it about right." he says wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"You don't know how happy I am that you forgave me." Sam purrs as she reaches out with her hand to stroke the back of his head as he leans down to kiss the side of her neck.

"It wasn't that difficult." he replies as he runs his hands over her midsection making her shiver.

"Really." she moans as he runs a hand up into her hair, moving it aside so he can have easier access to her sensitive neck

"Most definetely." he concurs moving his right hand down and moving it up along her leg, taking the hemline up with it.

Sam feels an uneasy twing inside as Lucky's pants touch her exposed thighs. "Lucky?" she says uncertainly.

Letting out a dark chuckle his hand continues it's journey upward under her dress until it reachs her breasts.

"Come on." Sam says as she squirms in his grasp but is unable to break away as his hand begins to roughly pinch and maul her large tits. "Slow down!"

"Of course I forgave you, little whore." a familiar voice says in her ear. "That is what family is for."

"Nikolas!" she cries out as he uses his grip on her hair to slam her face first onto the table.

He laughs as his pants fall to the floor with a clatter.

"NIKOLAS!" she screams her eyes snapping open.

It takes her a moment to reconize the room as the nightmare loosens it's grip. "Oh God! Oh God!"

Taking a long shuddering breath she is startled when the door to her room is opens.

"Ms. McCall?" Det. Rodriguez states walking into Sam's hospital room.

"Yes." Sam replies as she struggles to sit upright on the hospital bed.

"You are under arrest for felony assist to kidnap a minor as well as a second count of endangering an infant." he tells her pulling out a pair of hand cuffs.

"You can't be serious!" Sam exclaims eyes wide as she is handcuffed and sat in a wheel chair.

"You have the right to remain silent." he continues over all of her objections

"My mother is the District Attorney." she tells the cop as he mirandrizes her.

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"Just page Alexis Davis!" Sam twists slighty to look up at the detective, wincing as the motion makes her ribs ache. "She's here in the hospital!"

"You have the right to a attorney."

"You know who she is. Your boss!" Sam tries to get through in vein.

"If you don't have one, one will be appointed to you by the court." he finishes with a look of long suffering around the room, "Do you understand these rights as they have been read Ms. McCall?"

"What's going on here?" the question proceeds the arrival of Dr. Robin Scorpio, who looks none too pleased by what she see's.

"I'm taking this woman into custody." Det. Rodriguez answers with a respectful nod to the commissioners niece.

"She just woke up from a coma not two days ago!" Robin objects putting her hands on her hips.

"Dr. Drake cleared her to leave the hospital." he tells her waving to Sam's personal items that have been left on a table for her.

"Cleared to leave the hospital to go _home_." Robin stresses the last word, "Her hip and ribs were severly bruised and being thrown into a cell will not help her recovery."

"Sam McCall is a serious flight risk." he reminds the good doctor with a shake of his head as he remembers when she broke out of the police station.

"I can't believe he did this." Sam says to herself as she looks around her cell. Thankfully since she is technically she is injured she has a cell to herself. In spite of everything she thought that Lucky would never put Jake in harms way by pressing charges but apparantly she was wrong.

"I can't believe this." comes Alexis' angry mutter as the outer door leading to the holding cells opens. "My daughter has been detained for over four hours and I'm just hearing about it now?"

"I was delayed by the double homicide on Fifth and Western." Det. Rodriguez sighs as he follows her inside. "Det. Spencer was supposed to handle informing you."

"That would be a little difficult not to mention a conflict of interest," Alexis snaps as she approaches her daughter's cell. "considering that he is the father of the supposed victims as well as her ex-boyfriend."

"I'll make sure the paper works all in order." he tells her and quickly makes his escape.

"Tell me your here to get me out of here?" Sam asks gingerly easing herself off the bench and limping over to her mother.

"Yes I am. Nikolas is paying the bail as we speak." Alexis tells her with a firm nod, not seeing the frown that appears on her daughter's face at the mention of his name. "We'll have you out of here in a few minutes."

Whatever else Sam is going to say is cut off as the door open again to admit a sleazy looking character in a dark grey business suite.

"Wes. Hey." Sam greets the man as he walks over

"How you doing?" he asks eyeing her criticaly.

"I'm - gosh - a lot better now that you're here. I'm so glad that you came to visit." Sam nods to her mother, "Mom, you remember Wes? He took over for producer of 'Everyday Heroes' after Amelia left."

"Wonderful to see you." he says with a forced smile.

"Nice to see you. All right, I'll let you two talk shop. I'll make sure that the good detective is moving things along." Alexis says and walks out of the holding area.

"Okay. Hey, I am so glad that you came here." Sam gets her game face on. "I - I was just - I was getting ready to call you, I can't wait to get back to work. Hiatus is such a drag."

"Isn't it?" he replies wyrly, "I mean, everybody's ready to get back to work. We - we start taping next week."

"Next week? Huh - that's funny." Sam chuckles, "You crack me up - you always have."

"In Hawaii." he adds.

"Uh - did I not get an email or something?" she asks warily, realizing something is wrong.

"You must've missed it." he smiles tapping on the cell bars.

"Okay, that's - that's funny." she stammers, feeling unsteady on her feet. "What, we - we - we can't start taping in Hawaii next week obviously, but I - I do have some really good ideas about maybe a different sort of thing that we could do, maybe something like 'Everyday Heroes Stands Up to Her Doctor' and 'What Really Happens During Surgery.' 'Hospitals - Do They Make You Sicker or Not?"

"That's a little bit off concept, don't you think?" he says critically.

"Yeah, I know, but I thought maybe it would be a good idea until at least I get back on my feet again." she admits a little desperatly. "I don't know - we can call it a fresh approach or something. We'll have promotions deal with that, but I - I don't - now that you're here, I know is really difficult to get clearances and stuff."

"No, that - that - that's not going to be necessary." he breaks in wanting to put an end to this.

"Oh, why not?" she asks neutrally.

"Well, you're not doing the show." he tells her calmly

"What?" she demands confused.

"You're suspended."

"You can't suspend me." she tells him feeling a little more steady now that she recalls her ace in the hole I have a contract."

"Well, force majeure." he shrugs.

"What does that mean?" she asks.

"That car running you down was an act of God," he explains his logic. "an unforeseen circumstance, and now the network can essentially do whatever it wants."

"Okay, let me get this straight-" she asks angrily, outrage building at the legal manuevering. "I'm suspended, not fired, for how long exactly?"

"It's just thirteen weeks, depending on your health as well as the matter of your, shall we say legal disposition. And we found a terrific replacement - Sam, you're going to love her."

"Replacement?" she grit out a protest, "But that entire show was built around me."

"Yeah, back when you were rappelling off of buildings and deep-sea diving and kickboxing." he acknolodges her statement.

"No, no, no, no. This is my show, I practically created it." she can feel her job slipping out of her hands.

"No, Sam, 'Everyday Heroes' is about beautiful women who dive into danger and save the day." he corrects her shaking a finger in her direction. "I mean, you can't do that with a bad hip. But you know, Tiffany - she wants to meet you anyway. You have been, like, her hero since day one."

"Tiffany?" she exclaims with a shake of her head. "You're kidding me, right?"

"No, the kid has not missed an episode, okay?" he tells her enthusiastically. "I mean, she - she knows more about this show than I do. And we stumbled across this woman at a beauty pageant in Utah. Apparently, she graduated college at 4.0, she's been modeling since she was 2, and she's, like, a tri-athlete on the short list for the Olympics."

"Oh, this is good- a beauty pageant?" she says sarcastically.

"Oh, Tiffany - she is 6'1" in bare feet, blond, gorgeous. And she - she nailed the screen test, boom, one take. I'm telling you, she - she's easy to work with and she's just - talk about clean living. I mean, this one doesn't even drink coffee, Sam." he tells her unintentionally twisting the knife. "She signs her contract, two minutes later she runs down-"

"Wait a minute-" she cuts him off alarmed and wide eyed. "a contract? How can she possibly have a contract?"

"Sam, why wouldn't she have a contract?" he states waiting for it to sink in.

"I-" she is at a loss for words.

"Is there a problem?" Alexis comes back with Rodriguez in tow seeing the distressed look on Sam's face.

"Yes, there is a problem. I have been replaced by Tiffany the beauty pageant winner who happens to be blond and six feet tall - I guess that matters" she adds with a bitter shake of her head. "-and a tri-athlete, to add that."

"Actually, she rides horses, too." he is practically rubbing his hands together with glee. "I mean, she was the rodeo queen at Provo, like, three years in a row. She's won all these awards for horse jumping. I mean, I think for the opening sequence, we're going to have her riding bareback-"

"That's enough. Really, Wes, it's enough." Sam has had it and the warning flash in her eyes backs him off.

"You can't replace my daughter." Alexis protests, suprised at the recent development.

"Well, we're suspending your daughter until she can meet the physical requirements of the show and _'if' _he stesses the word, -if she is available to shoot."

"You can't do that, either." she denies angrily.

"Her contract is quite clear." he explains reasonbly, trying to defuse the situation. "Look, once Sam is up and running again, she's welcome back on the show - at our discretion, of course - and depending-"

"Oh, great." Sam groans seeing the writing on the wall.

"On Tiffany's numbers." he continues right over her.

"Do you have lawyers?" Alexis falls back on her profession.

"We do." he confirms with a nod.

"Have them call me." Alexis tells him with steel in her voice.

"Not a problem." he agrees not worried in the least as he turns to leave. "It's great seeing you both."

"Yeah." Sam sighs as he leaves. "Fantastic."

"I'll get your job back." she tells her daughter.

"No, I would never be on that show again - you wait and see." Sam says with a shake of her head as the dominoes fall all around her life. "It's just typical, you know? I've - I've lost my daughter, I lost my brother, I can't have kids anymore, I lost Jason, I lost Lucky, and now because of whoever hit me with their car, I lost the only thing I had left."

Grimacing from witnessing the exchange Rodriguez leaves the doorway and opens the cell.

"This isn't the way to the lake house." Sam comments as the taxi takes her and Alexis past the bay.

"We moved out last month." Alexis explains with a grimace of distaste. "Viola was found strangled in Kristina's room."

"Oh my god!" Sam's full attention is now on her mother now rather then their destination. "Is she alright was she hurt. What-"

"Kristina is okay." Alexis jumps in, laying a soothing hand on Sam's arm. "She was out with the sitter. The only thing she thinks is that Viola is off on vacation and that we're staying with her cousin for awhile."

"With Nikolas!" the injured girl asks wide eyed. Whatever her mother thinks, Kristina is not okay now.

"He's been considerate enough to let us stay with him until the killer is caught." Alexis tells her with a touch of reprove in her tone for her daughter. The last few months have been especialy draining on the high powered attourney. "He is having rooms set aside for you."

Sam fights the urge to panic, knowing if she did she just might hyperventilate. "How - how is he doing now after the operation? Anymore attacks?"

"Absolutely not." Alexis states frowning, a little offended. "I would never have moved the girls back in to Wyndemere if I thought there was any danger at all."

"I know," the shorter brunette admits with a sigh, realizing that while feeling out the situation she has hit her mother's 'I'm a good mother' button. "I'm just a little out of it after losing more than two months of my life."

"It's going to be okay Sam." Alexis promises her oldest daughter, wrapping a arm around her and giving her a squeeze. "You just need some time to recover."

Those words echo in Sam's ears as they reach the launch.

"Are you sure your okay to be moving around Sam?" Alexis frets as she watches he daughter limp next to her as they reach the large double doors that mark the entrace to Wyndemere.

"Yes mom," Sam gives a feeble smile as she tries to keep her irratation in check as her anxiety skyrockets as her eyes flicker upward and she takes in the turret. "I healed up while in the coma. The doctor said I'm going to be a little stiff, that's all."

"Okay." the older brunette replies as she knocks on the door, shooting a worried glance at her daughter and giving lie to her words.

A few moments later the doors open and the aged butler Alfred shows himself. "Master Nikolas has been expecting you Ms. Davis, Ms. McCall. The rooms have been prepared and your belongs place within them."

"Thank you Alfred." Alexis replies calmly as he leads them into the gothic residence.

"Master Nikolas sends his regrets at not being here in person to greet you." he tells them as he leads the pair to the stairs. "He had a meeting of some importance to attend."

"It's quite alright." Alexis replies, her tone formal as her mind travels back toward the time she stayed here with Stefan.

"Where are Kristina and Molly?" Sam asks much more relaxed with the knowledge that _he_ was nowhere around.

"Ah." Alfred chuckles dryly at the mention of the children. "They seemed very enthuesed with the idea of unpacking and apparantly decided that in your hampered condition; you might require some assistance."

"Uh oh." Sam groans, a smile playing about her lips as her worries are pushed far back for the moment.

"This could be messy." Alexis shakes her head, partly in amusement and trepidation at what they may find.

"The children's rooms is in an ajoining room to your own." he explains gesturing to the door on their left as they continue toward the end of the corridor. "Master Nikolas beleived that Ms. McCall would perhaps need her privacy while she recovers from her ordeal."

"I think I could have dealt with Kristina and Molly." Sam argues as they stop in front of another door.

"I know you don't like being coddled." Alexis states with a straight face, that statement being a gross understatement. "However Alfred is right."

"They're not that much trouble." Sam grumbles as she stubbornly digs her heels in.

"Right up to the moment they decide to wake you up in the morning by jumping on the bed and you." Alexis quirks her eyebrow, knowing she's won when her oldest doesn't respond.

The sound of a muffled, "That goes there!" followed by a giggle, gets the adults attention.

"Let's do it." Sam squares her shoulders as if she's about to go into a gun fight and opens the door into chaos.

Clothes are strewn about the bed in one giant mass. The suitecases are laying opened by the bed where it's obvious that the duo had just dumped the contents out before dropping them.

"My God." the words hang in the air as mother and eldest daughter take a moment to take in the mess before stepping into the room.

Her face smeared with makeup Kristina's head pops out of the middle of the pile of clothes. "Momma!"

"Kristina!" Alexis's voice is breathy with disbelief as only a mother can manage. "Where - where is your sister?"

A giggle sounds from under the bed clues them into the answer. With a sigh, the older woman leans down and pulls out a squirming, laughing little girl.

A smile graces Sam's face as she takes in the scene before her. It always makes her smile to watch her mother get flustered while trying to keep up with her little sisters.

"Ms. Davis," Alfred smirks ever so slightly at the sight of the demolished room. "I took the liberty of having lunch delivered in the salon. If you wish, I can escort you and the children down to the pool while Ms. Lansbury tidies the room?"

At the mention of pool, Molly's face pops out from underneath the bed wearing a big smile.

Alexis's jaw drops when she see's her youngest daughters face covered in make-up, looking like some deranged head shrinker from a far off lost civilization. Sam laughs, earning a look from her mom but she just puts her hand over her mouth and keeps laughing. Just as Alexis is about to deliver a lecture about encouraging them she is stopped when she hears a wheezing muffled chuckle to her right. Whipping around she see's Alfred regarding her with a lifted eyebrow; the picture of decorum, which just causes Sam to laugh louder.

"I think we'll take you up on that Alfred." she tells the butler, shaking her head in exasperation.

"I can't believe they let her out!" Elizabeth fumes pacing in the living room of her home.

"Alexis called a favor in and got her bail paid by Nikolas." Lucky tells her taking a deep breath.

"Nikolas, our NIKOLAS!" the irate woman yells turning on her ex husband.

"Yes," he tells her, dreading this moment. Holding out his hands to try and keep her calm he continues, "apparantly Sam and the girls have moved into Wyndemere."

"We cannot let this happen!" Liz tells him, shock plastered on her face. "Nikolas is in no shape to deal with Sam, not after losing Emily."

"I know that." Lucky tells her his worry for his brother showing through. "I'm working on getting her out of there but it's going to take time."

"I just hope it's not too late." she says with a sigh, all her agitation seems to seep out of her and she sits on her couch.

"She's practically bed ridden now." Lucky explains to his ex, taking a seat next to her. "The doctors say she'll be stiff for days still and you know Alexis is going to be all over her. She won't have a chance to suck Nikolas into this any deeper."

"I hope this doesn't come back to bite us." Elizabeth shakes her head eyes shutting as she thinks how risky this move is.

"Hey!" he tells her putting his arm around her shoulders, "I told you I'd take care of this. Sam isn't getting away with what she has done. I have other cards to play still."

"No one can find out about Jake." she reminds him sternly, making him grunt and remove his arm. "It's why I didn't want to do this when I found out what she did."

"Look," Lucky tells her annoyed at the reminder he isn't Jake's father. "I get that your scared for him, but you don't have to worry. I told you I have another angle and I'll use it. Not even Alexis can clear Sam of what's coming. Believe me, she has no idea what's about to hit her."

"What else is there?" Elizabeth asks slowly, confusion painted all over her face.

Sam lay on the lounge chair and watches her sisters play in the pool as her mother all but wringes her hands. She smiles as Kristina swims towards the deep end and her mother calls her back, her arms waving comicaly. The fact that her mother is so neurotic has been the cause of many of their fights from Jason to her fashion sense, but it's hilarious as she tries to direct her younger siblings like some kind of mother hen on crack.

"Kristina!" Alexis calls out as she moves towards the middle of the pool between the two girls. "You go back to the other side right this instant!"

Kristina giggles and dives down and swims under the water making Alexis hold her breath.

The prone beauty chuckles knowing what's coming. Her little sister seems to enjoy making her mom crazy.

With a splash, Kristina pops her head up laughing as she splashes her little sister Molly who splashes back.

She can't help the laugh that escapes as her mother's face stops turning blue as the breathe she held leaves her with a ragged exhale.

Hearing Sam laugh, Alexis can't help the fond but exasperated smile from her own face. Giving the laughing brunette a shake of her head, 'sometimes it really seems as if they grew up together,' the beliegered mother thinks as she heads to admonish her mischievious daughter.

Laying her head back down, Sam dozes off as she listens to her mother lecture her sisters about pool safety.

"A little higher..." Sam mumbles as she feels lotion being rubbed into her shoulder blades. The hands obliges and move up to her shoulders and continues thier ministrations as she opens her eyes to slits to regard her sisters still playing in the water.

"Come play. Come play Sam!" Kristina yells as she see's her sister open her eyes.

"Not right now." Sam manages to reply as she waves them on their game of pool tag.

'Mom was right.' Sam decides as she feels the soothing rays of the sun easing the aches of her past injuries. As her pale skin begins to tan the brunette is startled as something tickles her feet lightly as she realizes Alexis has stopped rubbing in the lotion in and is obviously retailiating for laughing earlier.

"Cut it out." Sam mutters moving her feet away from the tickling digits. Obligingly, the hands move over her calves, as they spread more lotion over her. "That's better."

"Niki!" Kristina calls out from the pool. "Niki wanna play with us?"

Sam's eyes snap open at her sister's words and suddenly she's wide awake. She can feel her gorge rise as she realizes that the hands that in her sleepy doped up state she mistook as her mother's are in actually, Nikolas's. And they haven't stopped either. "Not just now," he calls out from his place hovering next to Sam. "I'm taking care of Sam right now." As he says this, the horrified woman can feel his hands move up her thighs.

"Okay." the young girl huffs with a frown, a frown that quickly disappears as soon as she is splashed again by her little siser. "Oh you-!"

"Cute arn't they?" Nikolas asks with a laugh, his hands carressing and roaming over her upper thighs.

No longer caring if she's over reacting or not, Sam can't stand the way Nikolas's hands are moving leisurely on her body. She puts her hands flat on the lounge chair and pushes her self up on all fours and finds herself wobbling.

"Hey there." Nikolas says suprised at Sam's move, he reaches out to steady her with, grabbing her shoulder with his left hand and holding her good hip with his right.

Sam trembles as Nikolas's grip on her shoulder shifts until he is gripping her neck firmly and that proves her undoing. Unable to stem the tide any longer she lets out a sob as the memory of what happened when she was in this position before rushes up with a vengeance.

"Let, let me go!" Sam grits out as she flails away uselessly on the lounge chair unable to gain any footing on the slippery stone.

"Now, now Sam." he tsks, his free hand moving up around the hemline of her suite, his fingers dipping inside and caressing her firm buttock. "We wouldn't want to disturb the girls now would we?"

The words cause the brunette to freeze, her eyes going wide as her heartbeat increasing along with her terror as he continues speaking in his calm reasonable voice.

"Do you really think I could ever forget you Sam?" he shakes his head in denial, smiling down at the shaking girl trapped under him. The side of her face pressed hard into the headrest as she watches him from the corner of her eye.

"No, not at all. I could never forget our special time together Sam. The way you fought me- or tried to." he laughs lightly as if joking with her. "The way you felt wrapped around me." his laughter trails off as he runs his hand down underneath her and rubs her center.

Tears form in her eyes and begin to stream down her face as she is molested not thirty feet from her sisters, trapped as much by their precense as by his hand holding her down.

"This is what your good for after all." he tells her in a stage whisper as he leans down and nuzzles her hair.

"Please- please don't." Sam croaks out, her vision distorted by her tears. All she can feel is his hands on her and smell his colone as he almost idly strokes her most intimate place like she's some kind of animal.

"That sounds like what you said last time." he states with a grin, "Of course the please is new. Maybe being around more civilized people is finally making a difference."

"DON'T!" she calls out loudly when she feels two of his fingers poised to enter her body. Too loudy, as the hand on her neck tightens in warming and she forces her voice down to a broken whisper; not wanting to place her sisters in harms way. "Don't, not- not here. We- we can go som- somewhere else, jus - just not he-re."

"Where did you have in mind Samantha?" Nikolas asks in a conspiratol whisper.

Sam sobs, her eyes blinking reflexively as water hits her face.

"Sam... Sam!" a voice calls out as she jerks awake, rolling off the bench infront of her sisters. Rubbing her eyes she jerks her head around frantically but finds no sigm of her phantom attacker.

"I - I'm here." she focus's in on Kristina's worried face.

"Are you alright?" the little girl asks biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah," the older brunette forces a smile across her face as she slowly moves back onto the bench, her hip crying out in pain from the fall, but letting none of it show on her face Sam hugs her sister. "just a bad dream."

"Oh, you were crying and-" whatever the teenybopper is going to say is cut off as the door to the east wing opens and Nikolas steps through with Alexis in tow.

"We really should see about what we can do about ELQ now that Tracy-" Nikolas stops as he sees his cousins hugging, the oldest in tears. "Is there something wrong?"

Sam immediatly covers herself in a towel, not wanting his eyes on her at all, barely able to stand his presesnce normally now made doubly hard with the newest nightmare fresh in her mind.

"Are you alright sweetie?" Alexis bends down to asks Kristina before turning to her oldest daughter. "Sam?"

"I fell asleep and had a nightmare," Sam replies stiffly very carefully not looking at Nikolas.

"Another one?" Alexis's worried expression growing worse as Sam nods in answer. "When did you get a good nights sleep last?"

"Not since the coma." the former con artist tells her with a bitter strained laugh, her gaze whipping up to Nikolas for a second catching his own before leaving as suddenly

"That's not good." Alexis's voice rises as she reaches into her purse to retrieve her cellphone. "I'm going to call the doctor to find out what's wrong."

"I just had a nightmare." Sam protests as her hands tighten on the towel as Nikolas moves back into her line of sight

"Sleep deprivation is nothing to play around with Sam." Nikolas tells her gravely as his aunt nods her agreement as she walks off to check on Molly while making her call.

"It's just a couple of bad dreams." Sam grits out very pointedly not looking at him.

"Is this-" he hesitates asking, but needs to know as he remembers the look on her face when she saw him come in. "is this about what happened on the turret?"

Sam's whips her head around to stare intensly at the source of her misery, looking for any sign that he remembers anything. "Not - not exactly." she mumbles out as she see's nothing but concern on his face.

As he opens his mouth to speak Alexis walks back over to the pair, "I just spoke to Monica, and she is prescribing something to help you sleep but I have to go pick it up. I'll take the girls upstairs so they can get changed."

"Okay." Sam answers softly, as she does her best to look her mother in the eyes while keeping the threat in her line of sight as well.

Alexis blinks at the reply, suprised when Sam doesn't offer an argument or at least a demand to know what kind of medication. She nods her head as she realizes that Sam must be truly wiped out not to so she lets it go. "I-I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Sam tells her watching as her mother leaves the room, the moment she is out of sight she whips her face around to regard her cousin with a flat unfriendly glare.

"I take it the nightmare was about me then." Nikolas fills in the silence, his words not a question at all.

"Yes." the answer is clipped and cold as ice.

"I wish I could remember what happend that night," he tells her, regret easily heard in his tone. "I might be able to help you if I could."

"I doubt it would help." she says angrily tossing her hair in agitation.

"I - I just wish you knew, could understand how sorry I am." he tells her putting a hand on her shoulder, making her entire body tense.

"I'm sure you are." she snarls her eyes burning with hate.

"You don't know," he tells her, his walls come down and the naked pain and fear she sees etched on his face makes her hear him. "you don't know what it's like wondering if this is it. Is this the day I turn into one of them."

"One of them?" she asks slowly, her discomfort pushed aside but not forgotten as she see's this new side of her unpredictable cousin.

"Our family." he breathes out, his eyes focusing on something beyond her: something he does not like. "Cassadines."

"They can't be that bad." she tries to get him to forcus on her instead of whatever he's seeing. "I've met Helena and as crazy as she is she isn't the devil. She's just crazy."

"They are!" his gaze fixes on her once more and she wishes it didn't, his eyes are wild as he takes in a long shuddering breath. "My- our grandfather Mikkos murdered god only knows how many people in his quest to create his weather machine, and afterwards he killed thousands more. My father Stavros kidnapped my mother and forced her to marry him so that he could have a son: me."

Sam lets out a breath of her own when Nikolas lets go of her shoulder to dry scrub his face as he continues on.

"When Helena brought him back here, he snapped Chloe Morgan's neck and framed my Uncle Stefan for it before almost burying the entire Spencer family in his lab. My uncle..." Nikolas trails off sadly shaking his head before resuming his history, "he tried to be better. A better man, a better Cassadine. But in the end he became just as obsessed, just as deranged. He fell in love with Laura my mother and had her mother kidnapped to give her back as some sort of 'wedding present' as he put it, of course it didn't work that way, it never does with us."

"Alexis never," Sam doesn't know what to make of Nikolas's ramblings. "she never mentioned any of this to me."

"She wouldn't." Nikolas laughs bitterly, "She was probably afraid you'd run for your life."

"What happened to him?" Sam asks, her curiousity getting the better of her.

"He tried to arrange a marriage between me and a woman named Lydia Karenin to stable the family holdings, but he was too late because I was already in love with Emily. So in true Cassadine style he tried to have her killed and mistakenly killed Summer, Lucky's then girlfriend. Things escalated after that and he wound up killing himself to try and frame Luke and pave the way for me."

"Wow." Sam is shocked, this sounds nothing like the man her mother told her about. "Mom told me that he sent her away to school and that he raised you. I had no idea he was.." she trails off not certain how to describe much less process what she's been told.

"He wasn't alway like that." he tells her, his voice rising as he starts pacing. "He was a good man, a great man. They all were, but in the end they all turned out the same way. Different paths, same destinations."

"Your, your not-" the words choke off because she can't bring herself to say them. She can't tell him he isn't one of them because she knows better.

Seeing the look in her eye he smiles sadly in understanding, "That's what I thought." he says without a trace of bitterness, just a grim resignation.

"People have a choice." Sam tells him as she feels some small shading of pity for the man in front of her inspite of all he's done to her.

"That's why your here." he tells her.

"What?" she asks confused by his words.

"If something should go wrong your here to take over. It's the real reason I invited you to stay here." he explains his voice serious, "Alexis... Alexis loves me but you've seen first hand how bad it can get. We can't let something like that happen again. Next time it could be worse: someone could die."

The pity in her wavers as he says 'it could be worse' but she can't dispute his words. She has worried about just what he's talked since she woke up. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." he answers automatically, "Alexis would never agree, she wouldn't see the need for it. She believes in me too much which is why I havn't told her about this."

"She said the doctors removed the tumor." Sam asks trying a different tact.

"They did." he exhales loudly, "but I can't help wonder if that's the end of it. I need someone to keep an eye on me. Someone I can trust to be objective."

The question is all but spoken and Sam tentively holds out her hand.

Taking her hand he shakes it, smiling in relief. "Thank you Sam."

"Your welcome." she returns softly as she stands up slowly, grabbing the arm rests to push herself up.

"Alfred will have this cleaned up." Nikolas tells her as she reaches for her towel.

"Okay." Sam eyes him as she lets the towel stay on the seat. Walking over to the door he holds it open for the brunette.

Biting back a wince as she hip twinges with every step Sam slowly makes her way over to him.

"I truly wish this never happened Sam." he says as she reaches him, pain and worry evident in his voice.

Hesitantly she lays a hand on his forearm, pity swelling up in her again. Despite everything she can't imagine what it must be like to live with the fear that you would turn into a monster and on top of it all not being able to remember it happining. A small portion of her anger shrinks then as she mulls over what he must live with everyday. "Me too Nikolas, me too." Giving his arm a squeeze she walks past him and up to the stairs.

Nodding to himself as he watches her slowly ascend the stairs he's glad this is over with and smiles, "Whore."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5. Jailbirds, Stoolpidgeons and ...

Author's Note: Good news is I'm back in the swing of it. I've even written on my Vampire Diaries story. Bad news is that the holidays are right around the corner and as fun as they are, they do tend to slow the posting but I will try to post something after Thanksgiving.

Two weeks later...

"SAM!" a piercing voice calls out.

"I can't believe she jumped." a hushed voice says in a whisper.

"Hmmm." another agrees.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT!"

"Calm down!" Sam laughs as her head breaks the surface of the water.

"Calm down?" Alexis's eyes bulge as she talks to her daughter, looking like she's about to have a fit. "CALM DOWN! You just jumped from the balcony and you want me to calm down?"

"I do know what I'm doing." Sam replies evenly as she pulls herself out of the pool as her sister rush over to her and latch on to her.

"That was so cool!" Kristina gushes, looking up at her sister like she's the coolest thing since Sponge Bob Squarepants.

"Not cool!" Alexis shakes a finger at Kristina before returning her attention to her oldest child. "You know what your doing. What? Have you done this before?"

"First time off a balcony." Sam reasures her mother, fighting and failing to keep a smirk down; deciding it's not the time to tell her about all the times she has gone cliff diving in Mexico.

"Good." the older woman states, mollified. "Just... don't do that again, please."

"I promise." Sam holds up her right hand as if being sworn in.

Alexis shoots her a withering look at the mocking gesture that just makes Sam grin widen.

"Looks like someone is feeling better."

At the sound of the voice, Sam's smile dims as she glances over and see's Nikolas arrive with Alfred in tow.

"She could be in the circus!" Krisitina chimes in, awe painted on her face.

Nikolas grins at the comment his eyes flickering over to Sam for a moment.

"I wouldn't go that far." Alexis scolds the pixie sized girl, but the comment is only half hearted as she notices the change in Sam's demeaner when Nikolas walked in.

Even though she knows Nikolas doesn't meant anything by it, Sam immediatly covers herself with a towel. No matter what she does, no matter what she tells herself, she can't bear the thought of being vulnerable before the man in any way.

"From what Alfred has told me," Nikolas teases his aunt, "she preformed like a olympic diver." he finishes glancing up at the balcony that's easily twenty feet high.

"Huh." Alexis shrugs off the words as she see's Sam withdrawing more and more. "Would you mind if I talked to Sam alone?"

"Of course." Nikolas says easily, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looks at Sam before turning to the others. "What do you say we give them some time alone? I'm sure Alfred could find some icecream in the pantry."

"Yay!" the sisters says simutaniously, jumping up and down and circling the aged butler.

"I do believe there is some double mint chocolate avaliable." Alfred states his lips quirking almost into a smile before his strict discipline kicks in. "If you would follow me?"

Trailing after the butler like he's the Pied Piper, the kids are soon out of sight.

"Is everything alright?" Nikolas pauses to ask as he reaches the door.

"Everything is fine." Sam answers stiffly, not looking at him as he too leaves.

"Is it?" Alexis asks quietly, as she watches Sam walk over to the bench and sit, her gaze oddly blank.

"Yeah." Sam replies with a smile so fake it would get her kicked out of any poker tournament on basic principle.

Taking a seat next to her daughter she puts an arm around her and pulls Sam into her. "What's going on Sam?" she asks softly, feeling her daughter's entire body tense up.

"Nothing!" Sam laughs hollowly, as she shrugs off her mother's comforting arm and gets to her feet again. "I'm fine!"

"No. It's not." Alexis states softly, as she watches her daughter. Her mind starts putting the pieces together.

Sam runs a hand through her hair as she tries to put herself together again. The problem is, is that everytime she pushes what happened to the side it uses so much of her strength. Strength that has been waning since her arrest.

"This started when Nikolas came in." Alexis thinks outloud, not missing the way Sam flinches at her nephew's name. "When you were at the hopital you actually thought he was the Text Message Killer and you didn't want to move in here."

"I'm fi-ne." Sam's voice breaks on the last word, her back to her mother.

"You almost had a panic attack when I told you we were moving in." Alexis stands up as goosebumps crawl on her skin. "What happened when he attacked you?"

"I said I'm fi-"

"If you say your 'fine' one more time I'll scream." Alexis cuts in her voice unsteady as she walks up behind her daughter. Running her hands up and down Sam's arms, she presses a kiss down onto the back of her head and whispers. "What happened baby?"

"He - he." the brunette sobs leaning backwards into the comforting arms of her mother.

"Let it out." Alexis wraps her arms around the crying brunette, she feels like her insides have turned to ice. "Tell me. Please."

"He r-"

Bang!

Sam's words are cut off as the door is flung open and slams into the wall and a irate Lucky bursts in. "Sam!"

"What- Lucky?" she sniffs her vision blurry as she blinks away the tears.

Slowing as he takes in his ex girlfriends current state he swallows his unease and keeps going. "Sam McCall, your under arrest for the murder of Andrew Dumante."

"This is crazy!" Alexis yells at Lucky who grits his teeth and continues on.

"You have the right to remain silent." he says stoicly, "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"Andrew?" Sam slowly shakes her head, as her instinct for self preservation gears up.

"You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning"

"Oh she has one!" Alexis barks out, as she pulls out her cell phone and dials rapidly. "Your going to find out what kind I am!"

Lucky pauses as he takes that threat in and lets out a breath, "If you cannot afford a lawyer one will be provided for you at government expense."

"Alfred said that-" Nikolas's voice trails off as he watches Lucky handcuff Sam. "What is this?"

"She's under arrest for murder." Lucky tells him curtly then turns back to Sam. "Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

"Yes." Sam snipes turning a cold glare at Lucky, one that is returned wholeheartedly.

"Who did she kill?" Nikolas asks Lucky while he lets Sam slide her shoes back on.

"Andrew Dumante." Lucky replies calmly, hoping this will get through to his brother. "When her and Jason went on their 'vacation' after saving Michael from AJ, a woman named Allegra Montenegro kidnapped Sam. She forced Sam to impersonate her daughter and marry Andrew. After which Sam killed him and pinned it on Allegra's daughter."

"That's insane!" Alexis explodes as she hangs up the phone, "Allegra had Jason imprisoned and told Sam that if she didn't marry Andrew she'd have Jason killed. It was her daughter who murdered Andrew and framed Sam for it, but Allegra couldn't let her go to prison for something she didn't do and had her released!"

"Mom's right Lucky." Sam tries to reason with him, "That little bitch was psycotic. She was willing to kill us all for the money!"

"I'm just doing my job." Lucky grits out annoyed at Alexis's stalwart defense of her daughter. Hoping that the facts would shift Nikolas to his side. "The authorities in San Sereno obviously believe differently."

"At least let her put something else on!" Alexis gestures to the bikini clad brunette.

"Yeah!" Lucky chuckles sarcastically, "She'll get something else on and dive out a window or pick up a gun! No thanks!"

"Let it go." Sam couldn't care less about about her state of dress; her mind whirling a mile a minute as she tries to figure out what happened back there to get Allegra to change her mind.

"Come on." Lucky orders grabbing her arm and escorting her out.

"This is not good." Alexis tells Nikolas as she watches them leave.

"Don't worry." Nikolas replies, laying a comforting hand on his aunts shoulder. "I'll take care of this."

"I can't believe your doing this!" Sam tells Lucky in a scathing tone as he gets into the police car.

"I can't believe you let my son get kidnapped." Lucky replies in a cutting tone.

"Maybe," Sam nods not disputing the fact, "but I'm not the one putting him in harms way now. I don't know how you live with that."

Lucky closes his eyes briefly, the truth of her words slicing in deep. Letting out a long breath he pulls out of the parking lot.

Seeing his reaction, Sam knows she's hit paydirt. "That's why you've done this isn't it? You and Elizabeth couldn't get me on the kidnapping charges so you dragged this up! Why now? Why would you bother?"

Lucky's hands tighten on the wheel when he remembers the conversation he had with Elizabeth shortly before Sam woke up from her coma...

..."I'm just following up on some new information about the night of Sam's accident." Lucky tells her formally, not wanting to do this.

"Did you find out who hit her?" Elizabeth asks calmly.

"I got a couple of leads. I just-" he dry washes his face, annoyed. "-have you heard anything?"

"Well, you know what a rumor mill this place is." Elizabeth tries to laugh it off.

"Any theories?"

"I'm not big on gossip." Elizabeth denies.

"Could we discuss where you were that night?" Lucky starts to home in on the issue.

"Why?"

"I heard you telling Jason you think you did it." he confronts her with what he heard.

"So, what," Elizabeth asks angrily, "you're eavesdropping on me now?"

"No, it wasn't planned." he justifies his behavior. "I was out in the hallway and I heard your voice. And, yeah, when you mentioned 'hit-and-run,' I decided to listen. I'm a cop- that's what we do."

"Well, what'd you hear?" she asks warily.

"That you were exhausted that night, too upset to drive." he confirms her fears, with what he heard. "You'd been having nightmares and were on prescription meds. You dozed off and you hit something, that there was blood on the fender, that there was a dent in the car. I'm sure Jason cleared it up that night."

"Well, when did you hear all this?" Elizabeth flounders.

"Yesterday," he replies earnestly, wanting her to trust him. "and I went to check out the details, also giving you a chance to tell me on your own."

"I wanted to." she tells him, hoping he believes her. "I wanted to since the night it happened."

Lucky sighs, "Jason said it was tearing you up inside. Of course he took the blame and he said he convinced you to wait."

"Because he was checking out other drivers." Elizabeth quickly defends Jason.

"Jason doesn't want to believe that you have it in you to hit somebody and just drive away. I don't want to believe it, either." he tells her with a hint of uncertanty

"But you do, don't you?" she says accusingly, "You think I deliberately hit Sam just to get back at her."

"I don't want to believe it's in you to deliberately injure another person. But I know you're capable of living with a lie, so I don't know what to think." he admits with a disappointed look on his face.

"I wasn't the only person on Tuckerton Road that night." she tries to deflect him from her.

"Jason said he has some more leads." Lucky confirms with a nod. "I think he suspects Monica."

"Do you?" she asks with a little hope showing in her eyes.

"Well, Tracy's trying to prove that Monica was driving drunk that night." he relates the latest Quartermaine madness. "They just had a big fight right out in front of the elevators, and I confirmed that Monica's car was involved in an accident, but she swears that her car was stolen."

"Do you believe her?" she ask half heartedly, she can see he doesn't.

"There have been a lot of auto thefts in the area recently." he tells her, trying to give her an out.

"Then maybe it was me. Maybe I hit Sam and just kept on driving." she decides to come clean. "I think I've known all along that I hit Sam. Jason tried to look at the situation from all sides, but I knew-"

"He was trying to protect you." he tells her, frustration clear in his voice. "But if you had come forward the night it happened-"

"Would I be better off?" she cuts him off with a shake of her head.

"The judge might go easy on you." he offers.

"Huh." she doesn't buy that at all. "You want to know where I was going that night? To see Jason. We have been meeting at a house in the middle of the country for weeks now. He's the only person in my life who calms my anxieties and my fears, and I had to see him, no matter what the cost."

"Yeah, well, maybe your lawyers can keep all that out of the courts." he tries to reason with her.

"And what about Jake? What happens to him?" Elizabeth's voice takes on a hysterical edge. "If this goes to court - and you know it will - the truth is going to come out about him. That's why I kept quiet for so long. Jason wanted to make absolutely sure, and - and I just - and I hoped and I prayed that none of this -"

"Sam will be out for blood." he cuts in evenly.

"I'll lose custody." she jumps on the Sam button for all it's worth. "Sam will make sure the world knows who Jake's father really is. And that little boy will lose the only family he has ever known. And everything that we have gone through: all the pain and all the sacrifices we have made will be for nothing."

"There were mitigating circumstances. You were completely stressed out." he makes excuses but she see's right through them.

"I was in no shape to be driving and I knew it." she admits calmer now that the truth is out and he seems to be on her side.

"There's still no hard proof that you hit Sam." he reminds her.

"Do you doubt it?" she asks, wanting him to say yes.

"I always want to believe in you." he replies instantly.

"But you're a cop. You follow leads, you gather evidence, you eliminate suspects. Which leaves me." she shakes her head and continues woodenly. "Sam has wanted to tear apart my family for so long. Now she can. Now she will."

"I'm sorry. I've already caused you so much pain, and now this." she trails off as something occurs to her, "Lucky? Has the paperwork on this case been done yet?"

"No. You're not even a suspect." he tells her wondering where she's going with this.

"And what about Sam?" Elizabeth asks hopefully, eyes shining.

"She doesn't know any of the details." he nods in understanding.

"So what if this case went on the books as-" she lets out a shaky breath. "-as unsolved? Would that be possible?"

"It'd be better for everyone if I just closed this case right now." he announces with a smile.

"Thank you." she returns his smile but frowns as a thought occures to her.

"What is it?" he asks, not following her thought processes too well.

"What happens when she wakes up?" Elizabeth asks worriedly.

"I don't know." he spreads his hands.

"What if-" she grabs his arm in a tight grip. "-what if we press charges? For what she did to Jake?"

"Send her to prison?" he asks taken aback, suprised.

"She stood back and let a crazy woman steal our son!" she growls, "Are you telling me that we can't do anything!"

Elizabeth takes a deep breath and knocks on the large double doors.

A moment later Alfred appears, "What can I do for you Ms. Webber?"

"I need to speak to Nikolas." she tells him directly, getting her nerves under control.

"Master Nikolas is currently in his study," the butler responds with his normal aplomb, turning to lead the way. "this way please."

"Thank you Alfred." she smiles as they walk into the gothic residence.

"Your very welcome Miss." he tells her with a hidden smile, grateful that good manners are not completely absent from the younger generations.

Elizabeth bites her bottom lip as they arrive at the study, knowing she has to put this just right.

"Ms. Webber to see you Master Nikolas." Alfred announces her presence as they walk in.

"Hello Elizabeth." Nikolas perks up at his desk from behind his computer monitor. Reaching out he closes the top and rises to greet his guest.

"Hello Nikolas." she smiles at her oldest friend and gives him a hug.

"What brings you here?" he asks, ending the embrace.

"It's about Sam." she begins wringing her hands.

"You mean Sam's arrest." he corrects her evenly, a smirk evident on his face.

"Yeah..." Elizabeth frowns, unsure what to make of Nikolas's demeanor. She was expecting him to go into protector mode; defending his family from all comers not: this. "Lucky arrested her earlier. I was hoping you would consider not bailing her out this time."

Smiling openly, Nikolas walks over and pours himself and Elizabeth a brandy. "And why would I do that?"

"Because she did it." Elizabeth tells him uncertainly, taking the offered drink. "She did all of it. Nikolas, she stood by and watched my son get kidnapped."

"And that's what this is about?" he asks all but laughing, his eyes twinkling. "Your son?"

"What else would it be about?" she asks dumbfounded by the question.

"I don't know..." he takes a drink of his glass and sets it on a end table. "It might have something to do with the fact that Lucky isn't Jakes father; Jason is."

Elizabeth's hands grip the glass almost to the point of breaking it. "How. how did you know about that?"

"I know a lot of things Elizabeth." he dodges her questioin with a chuckle as he removes her glass from the death grip on it.

"I'm doing this for my son!" she tells him evenly.

"I believe you." he tells her leading her to the sofa and taking a seat.

"Thanks." she says mollified, as she sits next to him.

"You do understand that she is family." he says with a wry twist to his smile.

"I know that." she admits, relieved that the conversation is going more on track then it was earlier. "That's what makes me asking this so hard."

"I can't make any promises where Alexis is concerned." he tells her, that is an understatement. Alexis is going to go through the roof.

"I understand that." she says quickly, glad that he seem's to be coming around.

Staring at her silently he reaches out and pushes a free lock of hair out of her eyes and behind her ear.

"Are you alright?" she asks softly, jerking back at the touch from the usually brooding prince; unused to that kind of contact with him.

"Are you sure?" he asks just as softly, ignoring her question. "Are you sure there is nothing else you havn't told me?"

"No," she says quietly and then in a stronger voice, "No, there's nothing else."

"Then there shouldn't be any problems." he announces rising to his feet. "I would like to stay and talk to you more about this but I have an errand that is going to take me out of town for a few days."

Understanding the dismissal for what it is she takes a beat and gets to her feet, before leaving she places her hand on his forearm. "Thank you for understanding. You always do."

"That I do Elizabeth," he states walkin back to his desk after she has left, "usually more than people realize."

Turning the monitor back on he double checks on the information on San Sereno.

The next day Elizabeth heads over to the Port Charles Police Department.

Lucky waves his ex wife over to his desk when she comes in. "You talked to Nikolas?"

"Yeah" she tells him with a smile. "He agreed to let things play out, but he made no garuntee about Alexis."

"You can say that again." he mutters, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands, weary from pulling double duty to get this case pushed through. "Alexis has been all over this since before I even had Sam booked. She's been calling Mayor Floyd so almost nonstop and he's been calling Mac. Demanding to know if this will stick or not."

"It will." Elizabeth states resolutely, "It has to."

"It better," Lucky sighs, leaning back in his chair. "or my career is over."

"What?" she gasps, not realizing the full repercusions of what this could mean for Lucky.

"Havn't you been watching the news?" he demands, disbelief etched on his face.

"I've been busy." she defends herself sharply, her cheeks redden slightly as she remembers staying with Jason.

"This is everywhere." Lucky announces to the brunette, dropping todays paper in front of her the headling reading: 'Everyday Hero Or Everyday Killer?'

"Wow." Elizabeth's eyes are wide as she see's the cover.

"Liz, she's a celebrity." he explains after seeing her shocked expression, "It's already all over the news, the internet, Hell 20/20 did a expose on her!"

"People love to tear down a celebrity." she tells him, grasping at that fact.

"Not one that's already been fired." he says evenly.

"What?" she asks confused as to what he's talking about.

"Heard about it on the news." he looks her in the eyes, his face expressionless. "After the accident, she was fired for not being physically able to meet the demands of the contract."

Liz just shakes her head, not caring that Sam was fired at all.

"Elizabeth," he tells her exasperated by her inability to get it. "people are actually starting to feel sorry for her. This is drawing more attention to her then either of us wants, especially to the accident."

"What can we do?" she asks taking a seat across from him.

"Nothing right now. But if this doesn't stick, they're going to want a fall guy and that's going to be me as the arresting officer who just happens to be the exboyfriend." he tells her shaking his head in annoyance as his phone starts ringing, wondering what else Alexis has cooked up to throw at him next. "I have to get this. Look, for now all we can do is ride it out and let the facts speak for themselves."

"Right this way." Nikolas tells his guest as he leads the way upstairs.

"Nikolas!" Alexis calls out, her voice shrill as she spots her nephew. "I need to talk to you!"

"I need to talk to her," Nikolas whispers, "go to your rooms and don't come out till I give you the okay." Receiving a nod, he heads down the stairs to greet his aunt.

"Where have you been?" she demands angrily, throwing her arms up in frustration. "I've called you at least eight times but I didn't get a answer to any of them! What have you been doing?"

"Take a breath." he tells her with a smile, trying to calm her down. "I have been getting a witness that will get Sam out of her current mess."

"You have?" Alexis's entire face lights up in relief.

"Yes, I have." he confirms with a nod and turns serious. "I need something from you though."

"Anything." is the instant reply.

"I need you to move into the guest house with the girls for a few days until this is over." he says with a strained smile.

"What? Why!" she wants to know perplexed.

"The witness is afraid that if word gets out that a 'accident' might happen." Nikolas stresses getting the point across, "The people involved in this are dangerous and my witness has a right to be afraid. So for the time being, I need you to maintain some distance."

"I understand that but I'm Sam's lawyer, I should know who-" she attempts to wheedle information out of him but is stopped when he cuts her off.

"Not possible." he tells her firmly, "My witness has proof that Sam didn't kill anyone, but if believe me. He's very skittish and if he thought anyone even knew he was in town much less in Wyndemere, he would dissappear in a flash and so would the proof."

Stumped, Alexis lets out an agrivated breath but she can't find a argument around his logic. "Fine, I'll start packing there stuff up immediatly."

"We've already had a sworn statement sent to Mac," he says consolingly, "it shouldn't take too much longer to have Sam released."

"Thank you Nikolas." she smiles in gratitude before leaving to wrangle up her children.

Six hours later Lucky storms into Wyndemere with a head of steam.

"Officer Spencer." Alfred calls out, as he heads to stop Lucky from intruding on Nikolas. "Master Nikolas has given orders he is not to be disturbed!"

"I don't follow his orders Alfred." Lucky tells the butler not even pausing as he walks past him and into the study. "I'm his brother." Walking inside he see's Nikolas at his desk and Sam dressed in a silver sequined dress, each with a glass of brandy.

"Master Nikolas, I tried to stop him." Alfred makes his apologies, his head bowed.

"It's alright Alfred," Nikolas smiles at Lucky and takes a sip of brandy. "I have been expecting him."

"As you will sir." the butler makes his way out.

"I can't believe you did this!" Lucky seethes, his gaze moving from his brother to Sam who perches on Nikolas's desk next to him.

"Did what?" Nikolas asks, feigning ignorance. Bringing a laugh from Sam.

"You told Elizabeth you wern't going to bail Sam out!" he says accusingly, his eyes showing how deep that betrayal cut.

"I didn't exactly bail her out." Nikolas smirks at his brother, completely uneffected by his theatrics.

"After everything she's done!" Lucky can't wrap his brain around it, "I get that she's your cousin but I'm your brother! She hired two goons terrorize Elizabeth. Then she let a deranged woman kidnap my son!"

"Not your son." Nikolas raises his glass in a mock salute, "Jason's son."

Lucky stares at Nikolas in disbelief, first that he even knew the secret and secondly that he would throw it in his face. "She commited murder." he states after he gets himself under control.

Sam laughs softly into her drink and then clinks her glass against Nikolas's.

"Sam didn't kill Andrew Dumante." the older brother states easily.

"Then who did?" Lucky asks sardonically, with a glare for the two of them.

"Nikolas?" a voice calls out and the study doors open again to admit Elizabeth Webber.

"Over here." he answers leaning back with a pleased smile on his face.

Taking in the sight of Sam at Nikolas's side, the bottom drops out from under her. "Why, why would you do this?" the words come out a whisper.

"Do what?" he replies his eyes swimming with mirth at the near identical reply that he gave his brother.

"You said you wouldn't let her out!" she accuses him, pointing at Sam. "I asked you not to bail her out and you agreed!"

"I also asked if you had told me everything." he returns with a quizical tilt of his head. "Looks like we both told the truth."

"I did tell you everything!" Elizabeth replies indignately, angry that he would try to shift the blame to her.

"Really." he nods setting down his glass, shaking his head in mock dissappointment. "You told me about how you ran Sam down on the road."

All three of them give a start at this announcment.

"How you had Jason have your car fixed and cleaned. You told me how Lucky closed the case even though he knew very well that you did it." he finishes with a hint of questioning in his voice. "Did I miss anything?"

"How did you find out?" Liz asks slowly, denying nothing.

"That's really the question you want to ask?" he closes his eyes and leans his head back briefly.

"I'd rather you answer mine." Lucky interrupts in a hostile tone, "If Sam didn't kill Andrew, who did?"

Leaning forward, Nikolas drinks the rest of his brandy and sets it aside and looks over at Sam and nod briefly, "Jason."

"Jason!" Eliabeth exclaims in shock, eyes wide. "I don't believe it!"

"Jason..." Lucky says slowly, turning the idea over in his head. "Why?"

"Because he had just married Sam." he explains in a reasonable tone, glancing over at a now cold faced Sam. "Add to the fact he was still suffering from using that drug to remember what Dr. Thomas did to him and motive kind of slides to the way side."

"Look," Elizabeth jumps in to defend Jason. "even if and I mean 'if' he killed Andrew Dumante there's no way to prove it."

"Are you sure about that?" Nikolas asks in a conspirtatol whisper and sharing a smile with Sam.

Just as Elizabeth is about to reply the doors admit Alexis and her kids, completely unaware of what they have walked into.

"Nikol-" Alexis freezes when she see's Sam next to her nephew.

"What the hell?" Lucky says to know one in particular as he and Elizabeth glance from Sam to behind Alexis.

"Alicia." Sam's eyes are wide as she takes in her mirror image as she steps out from behind Alexis.

"Suprise." Nikolas and Alicia whisper at the same time.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6. Double Double, Toil and Trouble

Author's Note: Can't believe I'm posting again ALREADY! Hope you like it, have a happy Thanksgiving! Things are about to get interesting!

Everyone is frozen as the stare at the mirror image of Sam perched on Nikolas's desk.

"What is she doing here?" Sam seethes, anger overcoming her shock.

Her words unleash the flood gates.

"What the hell is going on?" Lucky says only to be overridden by Elizabeth and Alexis.

"Who is she!"

"My name," the brunette in question speaks in a cultured tone that stops everyone as she hops off Nikolas's desk and saunters over toward Sam. "is Alicia; Alicia Montenegro. Formerly of San Sereno."

"This is the woman you told me about?" Alexis asks Sam dumbfounded, her eyes riveted to the woman who looks exactly like her oldest daughter.

"Yes." Sam practicaly spits, clenching her fists reflexively.

"You told me she looked like you but..." Alexis is truly at a loss for words.

"You didn't answer Sam's question." Lucky tells his brother doing his best to get his head around this latest development. "What is she doing here?"

"As if one Sam wasn't bad enough." Elizabeth mumbles noting the arrogant swagger of Alicia. The brunette hears her and sends a glare her way.

"I am nothing like this, girl." Alicia sneers at Elizabeth and Sam, the word girl coming out like it was dipped in slime.

"No," Sam agrees taking a step closer to her antagonist. "your a psychopath."

"She's here because I brought her here." Nikolas announces calmly, walking over to the pair with a refilled glass of brandy in each hand.

"What!" Alexis's jaw drops, "After everything Sam has said about her, why on earth would you do such a thing?"

Nikolas hands a glass to a grinning Alicia and they clink their glasses together. "Alicia was my witness. She got Sam released."

Sam feels like she's back on her boat and it's about to capsize with her on deck. "What?"

"As for what she's doing here," Nikolas gestures to his home with his free hand. "she needed a place to stay that was safe and secure. After everything she's done for us it was the least I could do." he finishes urbanly.

"What exactly has she done?" Lucky asks slowly looking first at Alicia then at his brother. Alexis nods her agreement with the question as the others look on.

"She identified the real killer." he replies easily as if the answer was self evident, and to one of them, it is.

"NO!" Elizabeth half yells, half gasps. "She's blaming it on Jason!"

Sam whips around to look at Elizabeth and see's she believes it and then turns back towards Nikolas. He lifts his hand in a mock toast and nods his agreement.

"You can't do this!" Elizabeth protests hotly, "He's innocent!"

Tuning out the nurse's rant, Sam really doesn't know how she feels about the news that Jason might go to prison. Never mind that the annoying bitch is right and he actually didn't do it.

Putting a hand to his mouth, Nikolas coughs as the brandy he just sipped tries to fly out at Elizabeth's statement. "Innocent!" he chokes, "Jason has been a hitman for Sonny for over a decade!"

"He didn't do it." Elizabeth maintains in a calmer tone, her gaze going from Nikolas to Alicia.

"You can actually prove this?" Lucky asks skeptically, after all no one has ever proved anything where Jason is concerned. But he also knows that Sam would not have been released unless they had something on him.

"Absolutely." Alicia smiles tauntingly at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth swallows hard at the confidence on Alicia's face and turns to Nikolas wide eyed. "I know you've never liked him but please. Please. Don't do this. I know you blame him for what happened to Emily."

Nikolas's smile disappears at the mention of his dead fiance and his hand tightens on his glass.

"But you can't just send him to prison for something he didn't do." she continues on missing the spark of anger growing in his eyes. "He would have done anything for his sister, you know that. Emily wouldn't want-"

Elizabeth's words are cut off as Nikolas breaks the glass in his grip. His entire body is shaking and his face is twisted in with rage as he takes a step toward her only to be intercepted by Lucky.

"Whoa there!" Lucky says stepping between them as Elizabeth steps back, realizing she went too far. "She didnglrlg!"

The rest of his excuse is stopped when Nikolas reaches out and clamps his hand around Lucky's throat.

"Nikolas!" Alexis calls out, shocked by her usually unflappable nephews reaction. "What are you doing? Let him go!"

Sam's eyes are wide as she takes in Nikolas's features, the expression on his face reminding her vividly of how he looked on the balcony when he attacked her. Dimly she can make out the whines of her sisters from behind her mother.

Elizabeth looks around frantically to find something that could stop this and see's Alicia smiling in delight.

Noticing Elizabeth's look of pleading, Alicia just laughs, her gaze moving back toward the brothers as Lucky slowly sinks to his knees under Nikolas's grip.

Hearing the laughter, Alexis jerks her head around and takes in the surreal sight of Alicia taking pleasure in watching Nikolas choke Lucky out. However the sound galvanizes Sam who rushes to the pair and grabs Nikolas's arm. "Let him go." she tells him calmly.

Nikolas ignores her, he just stares into his brother's eyes as they start to glaze over his struggles lessening.

"I said: Let Him GO!" Sam barks in Nikolas's face, her features angry and tight as she feels some of her nerve return that she thought gone forever after the rape.

Glaring back at her, Nikolas's face tightens up and relaxes as he pushes Lucky to the ground and backs away, never breaking eye contact with the brunette.

"Lucky! Lucky are you okay?" Elizabeth rushes over to her ex as he gasps for air and holds his throat. "Breath, just breath!"

The sounds of her two young daughters sniffling behind her gets Alexis's attention. "Kristina, Molly! How about we go to the gate house and get some ice cream?" Not waiting for a reply, she herds the two children out, pausing to look behind her at the scene before leaving.

"That's three down." Alicia murmers to Nikolas, getting his attention. She hands him a new glass of brandy that he accepts with a smile.

Taking a sip, he lets the liquid burn down his throat pleasantly before letting out a deep sigh and turning to Elizabeth. "For your own sake, I strongly suggest you don't try and use Emily against me."

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Elizabeth stands back up as Lucky's breathing evens out and he sits up. "You could have killed him!"

"No, you could have killed him." Nikolas states shaking his head, "Even though the tumor is out, my emotions are still slightly disjointed."

This makes Sam narrow her eyes at him as he continues on.

"They have given me some medication to correct this problem, but for now, it's recommended that I avoid any situation that could lead to a strong emotional context."

"You could have warned us." Elizabeth crosses her arms over her chest.

"You should have known better than to have used Emily's memory that way!" he replies sharply, taking a large drink from his glass and walks back to his desk.

Lucky grabs Elizabeth's arm and shakes his head when she is about to continue the argument. Instead he calls out to his brother, his voice pained and raspy, "Are you sure about this?" the question hanging in the air. It feels to Lucky as if it was twelve years ago, when they first met: a chasm stretching between them that seemed unbridgable.

"As sure as I can be." he answers solemnly.

"Elizabeth," he says evenly, not breaking eye contact with Nikolas. "we're leaving."

"Okay." she agrees softly, looping her arm through his as they turn to go.

"I think I need a moment alone with my cousin." Sam announces, her eyes trained on Nikolas.

Glancing at Nikolas, who nods slightly, Alicia shrugs as if bored. "I believe I can entertain myself for awhile." Then without preamble she walks up the stairs.

When Alicia is out of earshot, Sam squares her shoulders and firms her jaw. "You do realize she's lying right? Jason really didn't kill Andrew."

"I'm aware." Nikolas admits calmly as he leans back against his desk and sets his glass down. "I also know this is the only way to keep you out of prison."

"How does that work?" she asks incredulously.

"It took awhile," Nikolas explains shaking his head in amusement, "but it seems the law enforcment agency in San Sereno were able to find the murder weapon. The gun that was used was registered to Jason Morgan and the only set of prints on it were his."

"That can't be all they have." Sam knows from personal experience that you need more to convict much less charge someone. "Anyone could have picked it up while wearing a glove to cover up any finger prints."

"True," he tells her nodding sagely. "but if Alicia did so, then why would she bother to hide the weapon. Why rot in prison when she had a way out?"

Sam crosses her arms as Nikolas continues to spin the story that's going to put Jason away.

"There's also the fact that Alicia has spent the last two years in prison without a real trial much less an attempt to find the weapon, pretty much smacks of conspiracy." he tells her and adds something that really shocks her. "Also there's the fact that her mother fell into a catatonic state a few weeks ago. The funny thing is, is that the money that she recieved after Andrew's untimely demise was nowhere to be found. In fact it dissappeared shortly after you and Jason left."

Closing her eyes briefly, Sam remembers Allegra's kindness when Jason disappeared and shakes her head sadly.

"Do you really want to protect Jason?" Nikolas asks after he's sure he has her attention again. "The fact of the matter is, is that it's him or you Sam."

Sam shoots him a doubting look as she struggles with her conscience.

"He threatened to kill you." he states bluntly when she continues to balk. "Remember that?"

Sam's entire body flinches as the memory returns with a vengence after everything she has done to supress it.

..."After months of lying to my face and shutting me out, you show up on my couch, ready to have a heart-to-heart." Sam scoffs, "I think it's a little too late, Jason. I made my choice, you made yours. There is nothing left to say to each other."

"I found the men from the park. And I know you paid them to threaten Elizabeth and my son." he growls angrily, getting to his feet. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't find out?"

"Those men were paid to scare Elizabeth, not hurt her." she sneers not caring at all about the little bitch.

"They pulled a gun. If the cops would've shown up, who knows what could've happened. Cam and Jake could've been caught in the crossfire." he tells her, disbelief at her cavalier attitude.

"I was there to make sure that didn't happen, Jason." Sam states calmly, irrated that he really thought she wouldn't cover all the angles. "So the way I see it, I did you a favor by staging that incident in the park. Elizabeth got a wake-up call before it's too late. So instead of standing here confronting me, you should be thanking me for saving your son from the real danger- which would be you.

"If you think that I am wrong about the danger and you're willing to risk Elizabeth's life to be with your son, or have one- or both of them; shot in your arms, then just say so, Jason." she walks right up to her former fiance and gets in his face. "I will march down to her right now and tell her I set that whole thing up. You know as well as I do- you said it yourself. Elizabeth and Jake- and don't forget Cameron, will never be safe with you."

"You stood by while Jake was kidnapped." he yells, furiously open anger cracking open his usually impenetrable stoic mask. "You hired two men to threaten Elizabeth at gunpoint while her children watched. What is wrong with you? You want revenge? You want to be angry at somebody? You be angry at me! You leave Elizabeth-"

"Jason, I gave up everything to be with you!" Sam practically screams, "I was shot because of you! I cannot have kids because of you, and then you go and have one with Elizabeth?"

"You stay away from Elizabeth; don't go near her children or her again." he tells her his tone as cold as grim death.

"What," she asks shocked, "are you threatening me?"

"If you hurt them- again- in any way," he states plainly, leaving no room for misunderstanding. "I will kill you."

Sam stares open mouthed as he leaves...

"So what's it going to be Sam." Nikolas asks making Sam jump slightly, "You, or the man who threatened to kill you if you hurt his precious Elizabeth?"

"It won't work." she tells him shaking her head, genuinely not sure what she wants to do. "Even if I go along with this, Jason knows that Alicia killed Andrew, he heard her admit it- and that she planned to frame him and me for it."

"The only thing he has is his word." Nikolas states with a chuckle at what that's worth. "With Allegra out of commission, he has no proof of anything but we do."

"Why are you working this so hard?" she asks perplexed. "She's a murderer. She was gearing up to set me up for the crime and she would have succeeded if not for her mother."

"I didn't create this situation." he tells her coldly, "Lucky did this. All I'm doing is fixing the situation as best as I can. That means that someone else has to go to jail instead of you."

"Why not Alicia?" she replies quickly, "She actually did it!"

"Because it doesn't matter that she did it!" he barks making her take a step back at the angry look he directs her way. "There is no proof! All the evidence points to either you or Jason, and considering how angry your mother would be if I let you go to prison; I chose Jason!"

Sam runs a hand through her hair as her frustration mounts, "How did Lucky even find out about this? I never told him."

"It wasn't hard for him to find out." Nikolas relates the facts, his temper calming now that he seem's to be wearing Sam down. "He went to Spinelli and told him that someone was after you and asked if there was any enemies who mght want revenge."

"And of course Spinelli told Lucky." Sam mutters bitterly, "Why wouldn't he? As far as he knew Lucky and I were still together then."

"I truly wish that you wern't in this position Sam." Nikolas tells her setting down his glass and walking up to her. "But it really does come down to what you want and what your willing to do to get it."

Sam trembles slightly as she looks up at Nikolas, her nerves going haywire at his proximity; all the strength from earlier seems to be trying to melt away as she realizes she's alone with him again.

"What do you say?" Nikolas fights to keep his grin at her reaction, and he pushes her bangs out of her face. Making her eyes go wide and jerk back violently.

"I don't- know." she answers shakily, her throat tighting up. "I have to think- about it."

"Just let me know what you decide." he smiles, turning around and returning to his desk. "But if you will excuse me I have things that I have to get done."

Taking the cue, Sam mumbles a goodbye and leaves quickly in search of her mother and sisters.

"How do you stand that little twerp?" Alicia's voice floats down as she decends the staircase after Sam departs.

"Patience." he states, his eyes moving over her figure as she walks over to him. "A lot- of patience"

"You must have the patience of Job." she laughs slipping behind him and pouring herself another glass of brandy.

"Only with somethings." he chuckles, taking a hold of her waist and pulling her into him from behind.

Grinning she leans back into his embrace, "Do you think she'll go along with it?"

"Eventually." he answers nuzzling her neck, earning a moan from the debutante. "One way or another."


	8. Chapter 7 To Be Or Not To Be Free

Chapter 7. To Be Or Not To Be Free

Author's Note: I'm what you would call a late shopper and it tends to slow me down. (The Christmas parties didn't help either.) For all of you who can write while doing all that my hats off to you. I have the attention span of a fruit fly in a bowl of syrup. Anyway I'll have another chapter up soon.

The sound of breaking glass greets Sam as she get off the elevator.

Walking up toward the door to the penthouse, she see's it ajar and puts her hand on her gun as she reaches for the door handle.

"OWWIEE!" a voice screeches out at a decible that could break glass.

Decision made. Sam pulls out her gun and jerks the door open ready for anything. Anything that is, but what she see's.

A frightened looking Spinelli is lying on his back on the floor surrounded by glass. Apparantly they fell throught the glass end table with Maxie on top of him. Neither see the intruder as Maxie holds what looks like gauze in one hand and peroxide in the other as she attempts to tend to a wound on Spinelli's shoulder.

While the terrified Spinelli tries to wiggle out from under her would be nurse.

"Hold still Spinelli!" Maxie grunts, clamping her thighs tight around his ribs to hold him still and unitentionally drive all the air out of his lungs. "This won't hurt a bit!"

Looking around desperatly, he spies Sam in the doorway blinking and trying to decide whether to laugh or lend a hand. "Sam-" he gasps desperately. "Sa-m hell-p!"

"What's going on!" Sam asks with a light laugh as she puts her gun back into it's holster under her jacket and walks over to the duo.

"Sam!" Maxie exclaims in suprise, then smiles. "I could really use your help!"

Looking at the now blue faced Spinelle who is frantically shaking his head, she is about to get Maxie off the poor hacker when she notices the wound that the blonde is trying to 'treat'. "What happened?"

"He got shot." Maxie tells her with a frown for her still struggling patient.

"How?" Sam exclaims dragging the blonde off Spinelli.

"It happened when he saved Nadine from Diego." the blonde tells Sam absently as she checks her skirt for damage.

"Diego?" the brunette beauty frowns in confusion. "Diego's dead. I shot him months ago."

"Not so." Spinelli wheezes as air fills his lungs again. "Darth Alcazar's progeny lived and has been the one bent on the destruction of all we hold dear."

As Sam is deciphering that message, Maxie rolls her eyes. "He means that Diego didn't die and that he was the Text Message Killer."

"Son of a-" Sam mutters as she thinks of the youngest Alcazar.

"You could say that." Maxie agrees with shrug as she seizes Spinelli's arm and presses the gauze to the wound again making him yelp and struggle again in her grip. "He managed to hang himself when he came after me."

"Your help would be very much appreciated." he begs Sam as his eyes water from the fumes on the gauz.

"I can see that." Sam's smile slides back into place, the news that Diego was really dead this time makes her day. "Um Maxie..." she gestures to the room that is in complete dissaray.

"He overdid it and popped a stitch." Maxie grumps as she tends to her unwilling patient.

"I was trying to find a lead to get Stone Cold out jail." he states with a pained look to Maxie.

"Jason." Sam shakes her head as the reason for coming here is recalled to her.

"Detective Rodriguez arrived not an hour ago and arrested him." the hacker informs Sam wincing as Maxie continues to dab at his wound. "They say he has committed murder most foul against the former would be husband of-"

"I know why they arrested him Spinelli." Sam interrupts with a agrivated look on her face.

"You do?" his face brightens as a thought acures to him. "You came to warn Stone Cold! You still-"

"I think that's enough of that." Maxie cuts him off with a firm squeeze to his arm, though she does shoot a speculative look Sam's way.

"I have to go." Sam announces not looking at either of them, his words causing her to question her own motives for even coming here. "Take care of him." she tells Maxie who nods her agreement.

"Sam!" Spinelli sputters wide eyed as his dark haired friend turns and walks to the door. "You can't leave me here! I can help! I'll he-"

The rest of his pleading is cut off as Sam shuts the door behind her, any sense of amusement is washed away as Spinelli's words echoe in her mind.

"Hold the door!" Alexis calls out as she power walks to the elevator.

Eyebrows raised in suprise Dr. Robin Scorpio complies and the older woman slips inside. "Hey Alexis." is all she can get out before the taller woman turns to her as the doors close.

"What's wrong with my nephew?" Alexis barks out, her normal composed features ragged.

"What do you mean?" Robin asks, concern plain in her voice. "Is Nikolas alright?

"I wouldn't say that." Alexis shakes her head in disbelief as she remembers the scene from last night. "I watched Nikolas almost strangle his brother yesterday."

"What!" Robin's eyes go wide at this latest development.

"Nikolas and Elizabeth got into a argument." Alexis decides to skip some of the details, knowing how much the young doctor still cares for Jason. "It got heated and when Lucky tried to step in Nikolas just seemed to snap and wrapped his hands around Lucky's throat."

"Oh my god." Robin's jaw hangs down for a moment as the mental image presents itself to her.

"If it wasn't for Sam," Alexis shakes her head in a sort of horrified daze. "he might - he might have killed him."

"Do you really believe that?" Robin balks at the idea. Nikolas is one of her oldest friends. The idea that he could possibly hurt much less kill his own brother is unimaginable to her.

"I don't know." Alexis admits with a long sigh, as she shakes her head. "I don't want to believe it."

"He did stop when Sam talked to him right?" Robin asks slowly trying to make sure she gets all the facts. At Alexis's nod she continues in a more professional tone. "Then we should be able to bring him in and have more tests done. See what the problem is."

"Nikolas said he was on some kind of medication." Alexis chimes in, not wanting to leave anything out. "He told us his emotions were still unstable but that he was taking some medication to fix the situation."

"I didn't hear anything about that." Dr. Scorpio says more to herself the Alexis. "But Dr. Devlin could have prescribed him something."

Shaking her head she refocuses on the taller woman. "I'll look into it." she assures the attorney, "When Dr. Devlin comes in for his shift I'll check in with him about it. Until then, I don't think we should bring Nikolas in. Not until I find out about what he's been taking."

"Thank you Robin." Alexis smiles in gratitude, the first real one she has managed since she last saw her nephew.

"What are you thinking Sam?" the petite brunette asks herself nervously as she walks into the Port Charles Police Department.

Looking around she doesn't see Lucky or Rodriguez and slowly walks inside as the two warring factions rage inside her. The first voice telling her what she is doing is completely stupid, that what she is doing is going to get her thrown in prison. And over a man that would gladly feed her to the cops at that. But despite that terrible truth one thing keeps replaying in her mind, what Spinelli was saying earlier before he was cut off.

"You still care." she whispers the words outloud, her eyes closing as the truth of them wash over her. She remembers three years ago when Jason forgot everything, even himself, and how despite all of it he still held her in his heart.

Leading the way, Sam takes Jason into the children's ward and although her back is to him he can see that something is wrong. "Are you ok?"

"What do you want to know?" she asks softly, cocking her head and speaking over her shoulder but not making eye contact.

"Maybe this was a bad idea." he says getting a glance at her expression and realizing that this could be very bad for her. "Maybe we should-"

"I'm sorry. I-" she turns around hurriedly cutting him off, not wanting him to leave. "-I want to help you."

"Ok, just-" Jason trys to think of what to ask and latches onto something. "I know. Just tell me what happened the day the baby died."

"I don't know." she replies taking a shuddering breath. "I was unconscious from the time I collapsed until I woke up in I.C.U. a day later. You were there watching over me. And I had asked you if I could see my baby." she shakes her head at the memory and continues, "And before you could say anything, I-I could see it in your eyes. You know, and I knew she was gone, I just - I wouldn't let myself believe it, I couldn't."

"Did I say anything?" he asks quietly, caught up in her tale.

"That my baby had died." she chokes out, no longer really seeing him at all, "And I just - oh, gosh, I-I started screaming and I called you a liar and I told you to get out, and I think I-I even started hitting you. And you were just trying to hold me and comfort me, and-and then I think a nurse came in and gave me a sedative because I had slept for a little while. And when I woke up, I came up here-"

Sam stops as she feels the tears building and closes her eyes and forces herself to continue. "Because I wanted to find her. I wasn't supposed to be out of bed. But I had to find her. I found you instead." she turns to look at the rooms filled with newborns as the tears fall. "My baby was supposed to be in one of those cribs. I waited so long for her. I just wanted to hold her. And I felt her growing inside of me. And I sang to her and I read so many books. I mean, I bought every parenting book ever made. You and I were going to take her to Hawaii when she was old enough but, you know, she would never be old enough."

Her voice gets raspier, and her body shakes as turns back to him "She was gone. And when - when it finally hit me, I just - I started to collapse and you caught me before I hit the floor. Are-" she hestitates seeing the far off look in his eyes. "-are you remembering something?"

"No." he answers with a mix of awe and truthfullness. "But I know why, even now I would do anything for you."

They stare at each othe in silence that grows slightly uncomfortable for him. "I'm sorry for making you relive what happened."

"It was the worst thing that has ever happened to me, but something amazing happened. You stayed with me." she tells him as she lets the past drift back.

"Why wouldn't I stay?" he asks confused.

"Because no one else ever did." she confesses staring into his eyes, "I have been on my own for most of my life, and this baby was Sonny's; it wasn't yours. There was no reason for you to stay with me, but you did. But, you know, I just - I can remember not even wanting to open my eyes in the morning. You got me through those first couple of days when I had no idea how I was going to get through them. I can picture us just at the memorial leaning on each other."

"There was a memorial?" he asks, taking it all in.

"You arranged it. You stayed beside me, and for the first time in my life, I realized that I wasn't alone..." Sam trails off as she gets an idea. "You know, I - I think I know where to take you next."

Jason and Sam look through a window at Kelly's as Emily and Michael laugh with Mike and eat ice cream

"You see that little boy?" Sam points to the red headed boy.

"That's the kid in the picture in my wallet. It's Michael." he answers watching the three have fun.

"Right, that's Sonny and Carly's son. You were his father for the first year of his life when Carly couldn't take care of him." she gives him some backstory on them. "Those men that you went after in the church - they kidnapped Michael, his brother, and his sister. Now, that man - that's Sonny's father."

"Why is Emily with them?" he asks quietly not wanting to be heard by the trio.

"Well, because Emily is Michael's Godmother, and she's helping take care of Michael while Carly is really sick." she answers watching him carefully.

"They look happy." he states calmly.

"Well, yeah, Emily is just trying to keep them together right now." Sam reinforces his place in their lives. "She's worried about you, Jason. They all are. You are so many things to so many people. You are a father, a friend, a brother, a protector."

"What about to you?" he asks turning to face her.

"You're everything to me." she answers instantly, her heart in her eyes. "No one can ever replace you."

Sam returns to the present when of Commisioner Scorpio's flunkies leads a handcuffed and shackled Jason Morgan over towards the interrogation room. Taking a deep breath she starts to walk up to them only to be interrupted.

"Jason! Oh My God!" comes Elizabeth's voice carries across the entire room as she runs past Sam, not even noticing her as she flies into Jason's arms.

The dark haired beauty doesn't even realize she has been walking backward until she bumps into the wall behind her, her eyes glued onto the scene in front of her.

"It's okay." Jason reassures Elizabeth quickly and backing away when he see's the officer about to interject. "I'm alright."

"How is this okay?" she exclaims gesturing furiously at the chains on his wrists and ankles.

"It's standard operating procedures for flight risks." he tells her, trying to calm her down.

That stops the nurse as she takes in the logic of his statement, but only for a moment. "This isn't right."

"I know." he nods, flicking his glance toward his impatient guide. "Don't worry. I'll be out soon."

"I wouldn't count on it Morgan." the denial causes Jason to look behind him as Mac Scorpio makes his way over to them.

"You know this won't stick." Jason states calmly, mask firmly in place.

"Oh I think it will." Mac claims, a hint of a smile on his face as he stops in front of the mob enforcer. "We have the murder weapon and a witness to the crime."

"He didn't do it!" Elizabeth defends her quasi-boyfriend.

"Really?" Mac gives her a patronizing look and a shake of his head. "We have all we need this time. We have motive, opertunity, as well as the murder weapon: a gun registered to Jason Morgan, found with his prints on it. And a witness to the crime."

"Elizabeth-" Jason tries to get her to back off but she walks right up to Mac and crosses her arms.

"He didn't do it." she repeats defiantly, no backing down.

"Would you mind explaining how your so sure he's innocent?" he finishes with a quiziakle look at Liz, confused at her defense of Jason. Sure, he knows of their past together but Elizabeth always struck him as a straight shooter and the conviction in her words has his instincts jiggling.

"This cannot be happening!" Elizabeth mutters, breaking eye contact with the Commissioner. Not knowing how to answer without throwing Nikolas to the wolves for his part in this tragedy.

Mac is about to continue questioning her when he notices a figure in the background. "Do you have something to add to this?" he calls out to the lone brunette watching the procedings with a expressionless look.

Jason's eyes dart over and he see's Sam watching them and feels a familiar mix of anger, pain and bewilderment.

"Sam." Elizabeth breathes out, not knowing why she's here but even though she knows better hopes beyond hope that her nemesis is here to do the right thing.

The only thing she can feel is her nails digging into her skin as her hands convulsively clench into fists. Trying hard to regain that moment of clarity she had seconds before the raven haired beauty can't manage it. Not with the proof of her former love's change of circumstance standing thirty feet away. Sam feels as if her insides are melting and then she hears the words again: 'it really does come down to what you want and what your willing to do to get it.'

"Sam-" Mac starts to say.

"No!" Sam interjects sharply, pushing off the wall her liips curling in rage. "I don't have anything to say."

"Well if that's all." Mac states leadingly, and pauses to see if she will take the bait. Shrugging the Commissioner gestures to the officer to take Jason into the interragation room.

Elizabeth feels the small hope she felt leave her as she watches Sam walk out the station.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8. Troubled Souls and Lost Ways

Stumbling forward, Sam catches herself before she falls off the dock as she leaves the ferry.

The rage that filled her at seeing Jason with Liz has faded until the only thing left was a numbness that has seeped into every part of her.

Not bothering to knock, she opens the large doors and enters Wyndemere suprising Alfred.

"Ms. McCall!" he exclaims slightly affronted at the lack of decorum shown.

"I need to see Nikolas." she blurts out, taking a shaky breath to try and calm her nerves.

"I... do believe Master Nikolas has left for the evening." he tells her after a moments hesitation. "Perhaps you could leave a message and I'll see that he recieves it?"

"No thank you Alfred." Sam tells him with a shake of her head. Not really sure what brought her here to see him. "I'll wait in the study."

"Very well, Ms. McCall." he replies in his usual urbane tone, noting her rather frazzled appearance and not wanting to upset one of Master Nikolas's family anymore then she apparantly already is.

Not able to bring herself to sit down, not after what she saw today. Sam finds herself pacing as she waits as the intolerable pressure builds up.

Years later, when she looks back. Sam can still only remember what happens next in fragments.

She doesn't know why she is going up the stairs to the turret but she finds herself staring at the doorway. Her body shivering minutely.

What she does remember and probably always will is the laughter that is cut off by a sharp shriek.

Numbness tossed aside as the need for action has risen, Sam pulls her gun out in a swift smooth motion and turns around toward the sound.

Moving silently, the brunette listens for more sounds and is rewarded with what sounds like a whimper coming from across the corridor. Squaring her shoulders, she quickens her pace until she reaches the source of the noise located on the other side of a door. Noting the light streaming from underneath the door she slowly cracks the door open and see's her worst nightmare given flesh.

Kneeling behind her doppleganger is a very naked Nikolas who is kissing and sucking on her neck, his left hand around her throat keeping her head back while his right skims over her chest still clothed in a white dress shirt.

Sam's hand holding the gun shakes as her eyes go wide unable to look away from this new horror.

Releasing her throat, Nikolas runs both hands down her chest and grabbing the shirt tightly he rips the offending aritical of clothing apart and baring her large full breast which he eagerly seizes.

Alica mewls in pleasure as she is manhandled by the prince, her hands reaching behind her to grope his firm buttocks.

"Mine." Nikolas growls into the debutante's ear as he runs his hands all over her torso taking time to rub and tweak her nipples.

"Yours." she replies instanly, her voice husky with her arousal.

Mouth working soundlessly, Sam shakes her head when Nikolas shoves Alicia onto all fours and moves her skirt over her hips.

Nudging her legs apart, Nikolas has Alicia in position and he rubs his manhood between her legs, smiling when she tries to move back onto him. Grabbing her hip tighltly with his left hand to halt her attempt to take control he pauses at her entrance. "Mine." and with that final word he slams into the brunette.

Hearing Alicia shriek at Nikolas's brutal entry is like going back in time.

_"Ohhhhhh GGGOOOODDDDD!" Sam screeches, her eyes bulging as she feels the massive cock thrust into her being. She can do nothing more than shake violently as he keeps filling her up and wonder at his length as his girth stretches her._

"Uhhhhh.. huuhhhh." Alicia groans as Nikolas settles deeper inside her then anyone has ever been before. "Soo good."

Eyes lidded with lust, Nikolas pulls out of her to the tip and slowly pushes back in.

_"Damn!" Nik groans as his hips meet the ass that so teased his cock only minutes before._

_"ARRGGHHH!" Sam yells as she feels him finally fill her completely._

"Ohhh yesss!" Alicia hisses her eyes sparkling with joy as she feels him move in and out of her slowly, making her feel every inch of him.

His face sets it's self into a determined mask as he pulls out almost all the way and slams into her like he did the first time.

Gasping she throws her head back, her eyes wide as Nikolas begins to fuck her hard.

_Nikolas slowly pulls out of her, making Sam release an involantary sigh of relief. Relief that is short lived as he rams back into her body faster than before and knocking the breath out of her as she crashes back to the battlement._

_"Fuck!" he swears as he grabs her hip with his left hand and begins a hard pumping rhythm._

A clatter sounds in the hallway as Sam drops her gun and leans against the doorway, her face pressed into the wood, her eyes locked on the pair but only barely seeing them.

If she had been more aware she would have cursed the noise the gun made but it didn't matter. The occupents in the room wouldn't have heard anything at that point

Teeth clenched, Nikolas holds onto her hips and uses his grip to jerk her backward to meet his thrusts.

Alicia tosses her head around as he moves her how he wishes, her entire body rocketing toward orgasm with every thrust.

_"Uh, uhm, uh, stop!" Sam grunts in time to the slaps of Nikolas's hips against her vunerable ass. "uh, no, uh, uh, no, ah, no more!"_

_Nikolas's eye's shine with a savage glee as his big dick rockets in and out of the struggling brunette's tight snatch, making her moan in protest as he pick up his pace._

_Sam's eyes tear up as he begins to ram his cock even harder into the unwilling beauty. "Please, uh not-t so hard..." she begs as her body begins to jerk forward hard with every thrust._

_"Stop! Stop it!" Sam gasps as Nikolas continues to hammer away at the helpless girl from behind for what feels like hours._

His breath hissing out from between his teeth, Nikolas fucks Alicia with all he has.

Alicia feels her breath leave her as he fucks her hard, harder then anyone ever dared to before. Everyone always treated her with kid gloves because of her station. But not now. Now, she has found someone who cares nothing for her rank. Who is more than willing to serve both their needs. And he does so well. So well that she is left gasping as she grabs at the sheets to try and keep herself upright her face pressed into the sheets unknowingly imitating her watcher.

_"So close, so close." Nikolas chants as his hips speed up even more._

_"NO!" Sam yells as her eyes burn with fresh tears, knowing what that means as she renews her struggles for naught,_

_He slams into her with all the grace of a garbage truck as he feels himself cum inside the defensless girl._

_Sam's eyes are dull as her body jerks with the impact of his thrusts while he discharges shot after shot in her body._

_"Yes, yes!" Nikolas groans with each shot of his penis into the dark haired woman._

_A cold, numb feeling pervades her body as she feels Nikolas release his grip on her hair and leave her body. Sam's body slides to the stone floor as exhaustion takes it's toll, her body worn out from the brutal fucking it has endured. _

Sam becomes aware of tears leaking down her cheeks as she see's Nikolas throw back his head his eyes closed as he closes reaches the peak of orgasm. Wrenching herself backward she stumbles away as she hears Alicia's answering cry of release as the couple writhe together on the bed.

"That..." Alicia breaths as she curles up next to Nikolas on the bed, "that was incredible."

Smiling, Nikolas can only agree with that assessment but refrains from speaking as he feels the warm naked flesh pressed into his side.

The brunette shivers as she feels the prince's fingertips move along her back and rest on her hip.

Noting her reaction, he turns on his side to continue their fun when he see's something glinting on the floor by the door.

"What?" she asks after he freezes up by her.

Not answering he climbs off the bed and makes his way over to the door.

"What is it?" she asks confused as to why he stopped.

Leaning down he picks up what appears to be a gun. "A complication." he answers with a silent snarl.

Twenty minutes later...

"I'm coming!" Alexis calls out as she rushes to open the door. "What do-"

The attorney's rant halts in mid bluster at the sight of her oldest daughter shaking and pale white on her door step. "Sam? Sam are you alright?"

"No," the shorter woman answers quietly, taking the unspoken invitation and walks inside. "I'm really not."

"What happened?" Alexis asks as she leads Sam to the couch, very concerned with her present condition: having never seen the young woman in such a state before.

"It was a lie," Sam answers in a listless tone her eyes staring past Alexis's shoulder before jerking back to her face, as if she couldn't bare to see the unknown sights within. "the whole thing was a lie and I don't know how to stop it."

"Stop what?" Alexis clenches her hands into fists as she fights to stay calm in the face of her daughter's obvious distress.

"He set it up from the beginning." Sam replies her tone unsteady until she notices her mother's expression and she tries to pull it together. "Nikolas. Nikolas set it up."

"What did he do?" Alexis is even more concerned by Sam's mentioning Nikolas, especially after what happened at Wyndemere. "Do you meant Jason?"

"That's part of it." Sam nods, her mind whirls as she thinks about how smoothly he set everything up. "We walked right into it, we - I made it easy for him."

"What?" Alexis asks breathlessly, fighting down the urge to shake a straight answer from Sam and only her fragile appearance has kept that need in check.

"Nikolas set Jason up." the former con artist explains with a sigh, "He made certain the cops got Jason's gun. He probably bought off one of the lab techs to make certain only Jason's prints were found on it."

"Why would he do that?" the older woman shakes her head doubtfully. "How would he even know about any of this happening?"

"He-" Sam gives a bitter laugh, "he probably tiped Lucky off on where to look just to get things moving!"

"But why?"

"To keep me quiet." Sam shuts her eyes tight as she can almost invision the neat little cage Nikolas has her boxed in.

"About when he almost threw you off the turret?" Alexis's tone doubting.

"He knew that if he held my future in his hands I would have to keep my mouth shut." she thinks out loud, not bothering to answer her mother. "He played me. He counted on the fact that I would be so angry at Jason and Elizabeth that I wouldn't see the trap. And he was right."

"What trap?" Alexis says slowly, her doubt fading as a nagging voice in the back of her head begins to add the sums.

"I went to the police station just like he knew I would." Sam elaborates with a toss of her head, anger seeping into her voice. "He all but aimed and shot me like an arrow... I was there, while he was being booked. I could have stopped it, but I couldn't see past the hurt and I let it happen. If I come forward now no one will believe me because I already denied knowing anything."

"How -" Alexis stammers as she tries to find some way to refute her daughter's words. "how would he know that Alicia would go along with his plan?"

"Oh he has her right where he wants her!" Sam shudders as she flashes back to earlier at Wyndemere.

Seeing the questioning look on her mother's face she beats her to the punch. "He's sleeping with her."

"Wha - WHAT!" the words come out in a starngled mess, feeling as if she has been socked in the stomach.

"I don't know for how long." Sam continues dry washing her face with her hands. "I walked in on them earlier and I came straight here."

Alexis jerks herself up from the couch, her breaht coming in rapid breaths. It all seems too familiar. As if Stefan was whispering one of his latest games to her.

"She was probably a bonus for him." she says softly as a horrid thought occures to her. "A replacement..."

"I CAN'T believe he's doing this!" Alexis shakes her head in denial and grabs her coat and races for the door.

"You can't go over there!" Sam calls out frantically, terrified of what Nikolas might do next.

"Watch me!" the incensed woman shoots back over her shoulder as she picks up her keys.

"You don't know how what he's capable of!"

"Oh I know beleive me." Alexis barks out as she reaches the door, not even turning around. "And this stops NOW!"

"He raped me!" Sam cries out, stopping Alexis dead.

To be continued in the sequel called 'The Throne.'


End file.
